Under the Sun and Sea
by S1lverSky
Summary: [DISCONTINUED] A twist to the original movie, Ariel and Percy trade their tails for legs and go up on land, trying to find love in the span of only three days. Percy wants to help his sister, but there's just one catch: While the witch took Ariel's voice, she also took Percy's sight.
1. The Little Mermaid and her brother

_I'm excited to be starting this Fanfic! I began writing it a month or two ago, and I just now started to really work on it. I hope to make the Chapters longer this time. Enjoy Chapter One(:_

**_Update - 9/17/15: basic typo's, some word changes and added phrases. Nothing too major._**

* * *

Ariel sat at her window, gazing at the world outside. The people swimming around, the buildings, the abundance of fish, it was what she saw every day, at the same time. She knew the city in and out, even the dark places where the giant orb in the city center that gave light could not reach.

It was an old and worn out routine, but she really had nothing else to do at this time each day. She woke up at dawn each morning, and by noon, all her duties would be completed for the day. She was 16, and the youngest Princess, after all.

When she was younger, she would spend this time with her brother, who was two years older then her, but when he turned sixteen, his duties became far more time-consuming. He would only have free time at night after her curfew. And this time of the year was the busiest, because of the annual Royal Concert. Now that she was of age, she would be just as busy soon. She rose earlier and went to bed later, and the people in the castle rarely had any free time in the few weeks it takes to prepare.

Her sisters were equally busy, if not more, and although Ariel would never admit it, she favored her brother over any of them. They didn't care much for anything besides parties and the latest fashion. But her brother was different, he could think for himself, and didn't chase after every girl he met.

She sighed audibly, pushing herself up, and swam out of her room, looking for something to do, a hobby she could pick up for the hour. But, of course, she could think of nothing, so she decided to search for her brother to see if she could help him with any of his duties.

It took about twenty minutes, but she finally found him in the royal library. She silently swam in, trying not to disturb anyone. He was sitting at a table, an incredibly long scroll in front of him. He was sitting so still, someone might have mistaken him for a statue, except for the fact that his black hair was silently flowing around his face. The Royal Tutor was standing over him, observing his progress.

Ariel knew it must have been killing him. He could never sit still for more than a minute, and he always had such trouble reading. But their father said he needed to learn to relax, proudly and confidently sitting or standing, since the council meetings sometimes took hours, and sitting on a throne was harder than it looked.

She wanted the Tutor to leave, so she thought a moment until an idea came to her. Swimming up to the Tutor with as much confidence and grace as she could, and trying not to look at her brother, she quietly said, "Tutor, I think someone was in your study room. I saw scrolls and papers scattered everywhere." She said seriously.

The Tutor's face morphed into horror, and he barely bowed to them as he swam away, knocking things around loudly as he muttered something about people not respecting education.

Her brother looked after him with a blank face, but then he smiled, his sea green eyes twinkling.

Ariel snorted, hardly able to contain herself any longer. It wasn't very clever, and yet he fell for it. Her outburst was so loud and sudden that both of them were shooed out of the room by the scroll keeper.

When they were far enough away, her brother gave her a hug. "Thank you Ariel. You always save me at the right moment. I was about to explode."

She smiled and returned the gesture. "You're welcome. I was just looking for someone to talk to, that's all."

"Well, it looks like I have a few minutes before our Tutor realizes the joke," he said, his tail swishing back and forth happily.

They managed to talk for half an hour before the lunch bell rang, and then they both hurried to the dining hall to join their family.

"Hello, my daughters. Hello, my son," King Poseidon greeted his eight children as they settled into their seats at the table.

"Hello father," They all said in unison.

Ariel and Percy sat next to each other, resuming their conversation as they ate kelp salad and oyster cakes.

After everyone was finished, they were the last ones out of the room before the King, so when they were about to swim through the huge double doors, they almost ran straight into the Tutor. His white hair was frizzy with irritation, and his tail swished back and forth in annoyance.

"Princess… My office is, in fact, not in disarray. Care to explain just _**what **_you were thinking?"

"What's this about?" The King said behind them.

_Oops,_ Ariel thought.

"I… Ahh… I just thought that… Well, I-"

"Your Highness, your daughter pulled a most immature prank to send me to my office," He pointed at Ariel. "Very childlike, I might add."

"It was my idea, sir," Percy said.

The Merman raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is it now? I highly doubt that."

She put a hand on Percy's arm, her mouth forming a silent 'thank you'.

"No, sir, he is just trying to take the blame for me. It was my fault. I just wanted to give him a break."

"A 'break'!" The tutor repeated, fuming. "He is a prince, to be taught in the ways of royalty. And you are a princess, who should act like one! How many times have I told you? You need to be graceful, polite, respectful and-"

"And sorry," The King said, coming up between Percy and Ariel and placing two hands on their shoulders. "You are sorry, correct Ariel?"

"I am, father," She nodded vigorously.

He calmly looked at their Tutor. "Well, she apologized. Everything is settled now. You are dismissed."

The Tutor looked like he wanted to argue, but bowed instead. "Thank you… Your Majesty." He then swam away.

When he was gone, the King turned to his children, sighing. "Ariel, Perseus, when will you two learn? All actions have consequences, even small ones, and especially when you are going to be leaders someday. Because of the upcoming ceremony, you will not be punished as thoroughly, but you must stay focused on your duties." King Poseidon turned around and swam away as through the door, but not before winking at both of them.

Both siblings smiled at each other, and then swam through the opened ceiling to do as the King said.

They weren't tasked with many things other than practicing, since they were performing together, while their sisters would do something of their own, and then they would all do a song together.

Ariel's voice was like no other. She often made people cry when she sang; everyone said her pure, clear voice was even more enchanting than the Sirens. And Percy could will the water to swirl and dance around them in a bright show of colors. Their abilities were matched by no other, not even their sisters, who more or less had the same abilities.

They practiced for hours while Sebastian, the official Court Composer, watched their progress.

"Oh wonderful, simple marvelous! You guys are gonna be da best in show! Dis concert will be the pinnacle of my distinguished career! Your father is gonna be pleased," He beamed.

"All thanks to you, Sebastian," Attina, Ariel's oldest sister, said.

The crustacean blushed, as much as he could with skin the color of a deep sunset.

"Well, you all know what time it is. I'd love to keep playing all night, but you guys gotta get your sleep. Your father would have my head if you showed up tomorrow with da sand still in your eyes!" Sebastian said, making a shooing noise with his claws causing bubbles.

"Goodnight, Sebastian," Ariel's siblings all said in unison as they left the stage and swam in the direction of their bed chambers. Ariel remained, wanting to ask her friend a question but not wanting her sisters to overhear.

Halfway through the room, Percy turned around.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

"I will in a minute. Go on ahead."

He nodded, and then left the room.

"Sebastian?" Ariel asked, swimming closer to the crab.

"Yes, Ariel?" He said without looking up from his music sheets.

"I was wondering if maybe I could ask you something."

"Of course."

"That will stay between us."

"Dat all depends."

"I've been wondering, for a while now, about the Sirens."

He lifted his head, frowning. "Why would ya wonder about a ting like dat?"

"I heard some of the servants talk about how they've become bolder lately. And I wanted to know why they still follow the old laws."

"They still fear da humans, Princess. They don't know how ta handle 'em. Now, are ya gonna get some sleep or not?" He tapped his claw against the podium impatiently.

"Of course, Sebastian. Goodnight," Ariel swam off to join her sisters. She really did hear the servants talking, but she wanted to know for a different reason. It was greatly connected with her interest in humans…

* * *

Percy sat at his bedroom desk, his eyes unfocused on the music sheet in front of him, his matching tail swishing slowly in thought. He normally had no problem with music, even when it was on paper, but his mind kept drifting to Ariel. She hadn't smiled or laughed the way she did that day in weeks, and he wasn't sure why. And he'd noticed that she would go off on her own outside the castle somewhere. It was strange.

He sighed, rolling up the sheet of paper and storing it in his desk drawer. He gently tapped the small glowing orb by his bed, its light dimming until it was completely dark. He then lifted the cover off his bed, and flopped down into it.

He hoped he would fall asleep quickly, and not have the usual nightmares he did often. It would be better not to even sleep at all. He wasn't even tired.

He chuckled out loud at such a childish thought. He rose from his bed, swimming out the giant clam shell door. He had asked for it to replace the sea vines that had been his door for years, wanting more privacy. As he thought about it, he wanted everything that way ever since he turned 16. He even had started shutting Ariel out. He rounded a corner, intending to swim around for a while and clear his head.

A blur of red out of his peripheral vision caught his attention. He whipped around just in time to see Ariel rocket through the hallway. It was well past midnight now, too late to be taking a stroll. He was doing the same, but he was inside the palace, while she was taking the hallway that led outside.

He was going to hate himself for this, but his curiosity pulled at him to follow her. He hesitated at first, swimming at a slow pace. But as soon as she was out of sight, he sped up. He followed her outside, where he was more likely to be seen, so he kept up a farther distance.

As he watched, a little fish joined Ariel, a yellow and blue-striped tropical fish named Flounder. He followed her everywhere and was very loyal, despite being afraid of all the adventures she went on.

After a few more minutes of swimming, they came to a rock wall, where she moved a large inconspicuous rock, both of them swimming inside.

He was just about to follow them when suddenly he felt a vibration. He glanced down. "Ah crap," He muttered, reaching into his tail pocket and taking out a small stone.

"Percy!" A feminine voice echoed from the rock. It was Attina, his eldest sister, calling him on the special stone.

"Um, yes, Attina?" Percy said tentatively.

"I realized I forgot some of your music sheets, but I couldn't find you when I entered your room. Where are you!?" She demanded.

"I was just out for a swim. Don't worry, I'm coming back."

He heard his sister sigh. "You had me worried. You can't go wandering off at night, something might have happened. Anyway, whenever you get back, I left the scrolls on your desk."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

"If you aren't, I'm going to send a few guards out to get you."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Attina."

He heard her sigh again, before cutting off the communication. He placed the stone back in his pocket, gave one last look at the rock door, and then turned around, swimming back in the direction of the palace.

* * *

No one seemed to notice Ariel's absence the next morning, but Attina did give Percy a few looks. The next night and the night after that Percy snuck out, after making sure no one would check on him, to see if Ariel went back to the rock door, but she didn't. He didn't want to pry, but he was curious to see what would compel her to sneak out.

The days flew by, and Sebastian grew more excited with each passing rehearsal, even though Ariel hardly ever showed up.

The night of the concert finally came, and everyone in Atlantica swam to the big event. The girls were all lined up, and Percy was directly behind the curtain, warming up by swirling around a rainbow of colorful whirlpools and tendrils. The orchestra started checking their instruments, and the sisters were finalizing makeup and hair.

A small shrimp announcer swam in front of the audience, announcing the King, backed by trumpets.

King Triton himself swam in on a giant upside-down clam shell, pulled by two silver dolphins. He alighted on the largest balcony above the floor, his arms crossed proudly on his chest, his trident resting on a pedestal next to him.

The lights dimmed and a spotlight centered on Sebastian as he gracefully swam across the room to the podium next to the stage. The curtains rolled across the center as he started to wave his arms, the orchestra bursting to life.

"We are the children of Triton, great father who loves us and named us well…"

The girls started singing, swimming around in sync to their perfect harmony, Percy joining in with his water, the light bouncing and flowing around them, creating moving art.

After a few minutes, they rose in the middle of the stage, waving their arms at a dark spot at the back.

"And then there is the youngest in her musical debut, our seventh little sister we're presenting her to you…"

Manipulating the swirling, Percy made the lights move to the back, where Ariel would be sitting on a rock, and sing her lyrics…

All seven girls and Percy, and even Sebastian gasped at the empty wall, the crustacean looking up at the King whose face was redder than his shell.

"Ariel!"

* * *

Scuttle sat lounging, a golden spyglass on top of his head. He was sitting in a crow's nest, broken at the neck, which had washed up years ago on a large rock that rose out of the sea. He found it one day, settling down there.

"Scuttle!" He heard his name, looking for the spyglass, forgetting it was on top of his head. He looked up as if fell on his chest, not noticing a mermaid swim up to him.

"Hi Scuttle!" Ariel said.

"Whoa!" The seagull cried as he practically fell of his perch, the spyglass falling in the water. "Don't startle me like that!" He said.

"Sorry," she apologized after she dove for the item, handing it back to him. "I'm just too excited!"

He glanced at the red bag she carried. "Bring me some new human stuff, eh?"

She nodded, handing him the bag as Flounder swam up.

He dug through it, pulling out a wooden object that looked like a miniature trumpet.

"A Snarfblatt!" He said. He started going off about how it could make music, even though when he blew into it the thing spewed out seaweed and water. He made a face, as much as a seagull could, and put it back in the bag, taking out another item. This one was silver and looked like the King's Trident, except the three prongs were closer together, and bent at a strange angle instead of completely straight.

"It's a dinglehopper! Humans use these little babies to straighten their hair out." He explained.

"Wow," Ariel said, her eyes wide, mesmerized by the two human items.

"Too bad about the Snarfblatt, though." Scuttle picked it up, turning it over. "They don't work as well underwater, I suppose you'd have to get a new one. You could always use it as a planter or something, besides you have plenty of music-making instruments."

Ariel suddenly gasped, her hand flying to her head. "Music! Oh the concert… I totally forgot! My father's gonna kill me!"

"That was today!?" Flounder said, equally surprised.

Ariel shoved everything in her bag and started to swim away. "I'm sorry, but I gotta go! Thank you Scuttle!" She said, half waving.

"Any time!" He waved back.

Ariel dove beneath the waves, Flounder right behind her as she sped towards her home.

* * *

"Yes, hurry home Princess… We wouldn't want to miss old daddy's celebration, now would we?" The Sea Witch cackled as she watched the mermaid through her crystal ball, courtesy of Flotsam and Jetsam.

"Ha, in my day, we had fantastical feasts! At least, when I lived in the palace." She sighed, waving her hand over the ball.

"Flotsam! Jetsam! You can stop now." She said to them, after which it immediately blanked. She waved her hand over it once again, and it started to glow, until the silhouette of a man appeared.

"What is it now, Witch?" A man's deep voice scowled from the orb.

"I'm just letting you know, Wizard, that my, ah, little plan is going to commence soon. The mermaid I was telling you about is going to get herself into trouble, and soon she'll be begging me to help her."

"You should hope so." The man said. "I'm not waiting another week for you. If your plan does not start making progress soon, I shall be forced to find someone else."

"Calm down, it'll be soon. Just one more week, and we shall rule everything we see!"

The Wizard didn't even bother replying before the orb dimmed, casting its usual sickly green color around the room.

Ursula scowled. No manners, indeed. What good was partnership, if you didn't at least pretend to have some class? She swam over to her hole, sitting inside and contemplating. She just had to wait until the mermaid got herself in so much trouble she would do anything fix it. It all would depend on when, but she hoped soon. She was on a deadline, and if the child wasn't in enough trouble already to allow her to proceed with her plan, Ursula would soon have to make some.

* * *

"I just don't know what I'm going to do with you young lady!" King Triton reprimanded his daughter, his hands waving and flying everywhere. Sebastian was by his side, furious with the girl. It was early in the morning, hardly everyone in the palace having slept with the King furious at his daughter for practically ruining the celebration. If Sebastian hadn't recovered as quickly as he did…

Percy floated just behind a pillar, trying not to appear eavesdropping, but he was trying to decide if interfering would help his sister or not. For the time, he decided it wouldn't.

"But it wasn't her fault!" He heard Flounder pipe up. "First, this shark chased us… Yeah! And then… We tried to… But, but we couldn't!" He stuttered. "And then the seagull came, and was this is this, and that is that."

"Seagull!?" the King exclaimed.

Percy winced. He knew about Ariel's adventures, as she had been going up to the surface for a few years, ever since she found a statuette of two humans dancing together on a small platform that spinned them around, making music.

"You went up to the surface again, didn't you? Didn't you!"

"Nothing… Happened." Ariel said.

She tried to convince him, but Percy could tell his father just wasn't buying it.

"As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!" King Poseidon shouted.

Percy peeked around the pillar just as his sister swam away, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Keeping to the shadows, he followed her, all the way out of the palace and into the deep blue of the sea. After a while, she came again to the rock wall, where she went inside again. He looked around, then came out of the shadows and swam up to the rock. He pulled it aside fairly easily, slipping inside.

He found himself in a short tunnel that opened into a grotto, bathed in silvery blue light from a small hole in the top. Rows and rows of natural shelves lined the walls, and in the middle Ariel reclined on a rock, placing a strange object that looked vaguely like the Trident inside what looked like a candelabra.

"Ariel, are you okay?" Flounder was asking.

"If only I could make him understand. I just don't see things the way he does. I don't see how a world that makes such wonderful things… Could be bad." She sighed, rolling over on her back.

"I just want to be where the people are," She said. "I want to dance and run around. They're so free, Flounder." She rose up, glancing at her treasures.

"I just want to know what they know. And, what is a fire anyway? And… And why does it burn? What _is _burn anyway?" She reached her hand up through the hole, throwing shadows all over the grotto, her hand extended towards the sun. She let herself fall back down, her face never leaving the sky.

"Sometimes, I wish I could be part of their world. Even if only for a little while."

Percy looked up with her just as a huge shadow passed over the hole, momentarily casting them in darkness.

"I wonder…" Ariel said, the shadow leaving strange markings on her face.

Percy's eyes widened, knowing what she was going to do. It didn't look a whale. He turned around and pushed the rock, squeezing through the small opening. He burst out, swimming behind a rock just as Ariel appeared, oblivious to the bubbles he created in her haste to get up to the surface. Flounder followed her, and he saw Sebastian follow them in the same way Percy was. As soon as they were far enough, he swam out from underneath the rock, following them up to the surface.

He sucked in his breath when he broke through the water, unused to the air, momentarily trying to contain a cough from the sudden shift in his breathing. When he adjusted, he looked up to see Ariel climbing up the thing they saw. It was a ship. A human ship.

"What are you doing…?" He breathed. He saw Flounder and Sebastian half a mile in front of him, looking uncertain about what to do. He swam a little closer, trying to remain unseen, but still his curiosity got the better of him.

* * *

"So she found a human ship, hmm?" The sea witch watched from her perch, her tentacles slithering around her. This was her opportunity. She couldn't do much about the elements with the King still holding all the power, but she could cause quite a storm long enough until he noticed and squashed it. She didn't know how it would help her plan, but it would certainly count for something. She would play on Ariel's sympathy for the humans, and who knew, maybe the child would do something foolish.

"Just wait, my precious pets. Soon, everything will fall together nicely." Ursula cackled, throwing all kinds of vials and ingredients into her cauldron until it was bubbling and oozing.

* * *

Percy was trying to decide what to do next when he heard a loud thunder clap, and saw a streak of lightning course across the sky. He frowned, wondering if his father had discovered that Ariel was missing from the palace. His jaw tightened when the ship suddenly caught on fire from a stray ribbon of lightning, the entire vessel catching within moments.

He briefly saw his sister fly from it, only to pop up on the surface moments later. He went to try and swim over to her, when the ship exploded.

"Ariel!" Percy screamed, loud enough for Flounder and Sebastian to hear, both creatures whirling around to stare at the prince. Percy ignored them, diving into the water and speeding towards the wreckage, looking for his sister's distinctive green tail. He saw it as she also dove under the water, plunging into the darkness for a moment before rising back up, a human in her arms. She started to swim towards land with him, and it was all he could do to not cry out a warning to her. He had heard all kinds of stories about the humans. Swimming behind her, he didn't care if he was seen anymore. He caught up just as land came within sight, appearing as a tiny strip of darkness on the horizon, a bit darker than the ocean.

"Percy…" He heard her pant, fear visible in her eyes.

"It's okay. Let's just get him to shore." He said, taking one of the human's arms, knowing he'd regret it later. She nodded, and together they pushed towards land, careful to keep his head above the waves, the only fact about humans Percy knew being that they couldn't breathe in any kind of water. The storm lasted only half an hour, and finally, after a few more minutes, they got him on the beach, the sun already beaming from the center of the sky.

A Seagull, the one Flounder mentioned Percy presumed, came and landed next to the human, looking him over.

"Is he still alive?" Ariel asked, biting her lip. She knew she shouldn't care, but after saving him, she at least wanted him to live. Scuttle went over to the human's feet, lifting one to his ear.

"I… I can't hear a heartbeat…" Scuttle said sadly.

Ariel's heart sank. What was she going to do?

"Maybe we should just go. I think his friends were in a smaller ship when we were there. I'm sure they'll find him," Percy said quietly, staying just within the water.

Ariel didn't say anything, but the look she gave him was clear. Just to make sure he understood, she pulled herself farther up the beach, not caring that her tail was now deadweight.

Her brother sighed. "He isn't our problem, Ariel. Please, let's go home before father realizes we're gone. It's bad enough we're on the surface."

Ariel knit her eyebrows. "I don't…" She trailed off, blinking when she saw the human's chest rise. "Look! He's breathing." She pulled herself closer to him, brushing some hair from his face. She rested her hand on his face, and a strange tingling sensation ran through it.

Flounder and Sebastian were in the water near Percy, surprise visible on their faces.

"I wish I could be part of your world." She whispered, not even realizing she said the words she'd said before until they came out of her mouth. She remembered they were part of an old song about a siren who loved a merman, but they couldn't be together because of their parents. She started to hum the song. She came to the last verse as the human opened his eyes. He lifted his hand to the one she still had on her face.

"Ariel," Percy hissed behind her, noticing the human waking up too. He looked up to see more humans running towards them.

Ariel looked up when she heard a name being called. Her eyes widened, and she sprang from the sand, trying to pull herself back down the beach into the water. Percy grabbed her hand, helping her, and they both dove under. Sebastian and Flounder hid behind the rocks, keeping themselves invisible.

The human stood up, a dazed look on his face. His friends ran up, and they started talking, eventually moving off the beach out of sight.

Ariel sat on a rock, singing the last part of the song again as a wave crashed against her back, pushing herself up to watch the human walk away. Something deep inside her sighed, as if waking up from being asleep for a thousand years. She wasn't sure what this emotion was, but she didn't try to push it down.

* * *

"I can't stand it. It's too easy!" The sea witch laughed, watching the Princess through her crystal ball. "She's gone and fallen in love with a human, and not just any human, a Prince! Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. I might actually get entertainment from watching this long before I had intended. Flotsam, Jetsam!" She barked. "Keep an eye on this little mermaid for me. She may just be the key to bringing this plan to a close." Her pets cackled in response.

Her head snapped back to the globe as it glowed. The wizard appeared, his face hidden in shadow. "Have you secured the key to getting close to the prize?" His deep voice rumbled.

Ursula scowled. "And you say _I _don't knock. Yes, yes, I'm close. Give me two days, and I'll send my key in. She'll get close to the prize, don't worry."

"You have one! Send that key in by tomorrow morning or I promise you witch, my fury will be directed at you instead."

"Very well. I'll let you know, tomorrow." Ursula growled.

"You would do well to," He said, the globe going dark a moment later.

Ursula rolled her eyes; he was _so_ dramatic.

* * *

"Ariel, dear, it's time to come out! You've been in there all morning!" Attina, the eldest Princess, called to the mermaid from outside the bedroom. The other sisters were there, all curious about why Ariel was acting so strange. She had been giggling and smiling to herself at supper the previous night, and it was unlike her to be so bubbly.

She floated out of the bedroom, humming an old song. The King came around the corner just as she reached it.

"Morning, Daddy," She kissed him on the cheek and put a flower in his hair before continuing on.

"Oh, she's got it _bad._" Another sister, Adella, said.

"What? What has she got?" Poseidon asked, looking at the flower, oblivious.

"Can't you tell Daddy?" Alana laughed. "Ariel's _in love._"

The King glanced back the way his daughter went, and smiled. "In love, you say?"

Percy, who was just swimming past, overheard the last few sentences. His eyes widened.

_Uh oh, he thought_. _If Dad finds out about this…_

He sped up, swimming past in a flurry of bubbles.

"Uh, morning Percy!" Alana called, and he waved back before disappearing.

"Is everyone going crazy around here!?" Arista threw her hands up in the air.

* * *

_I started to write the second Chapter as soon as I finished the first, like, literally right after. I hope I can post weekly, or maybe two-weekly, heh. Happy Writing!_


	2. Potions over spells

_I'm putting the characters from both PJO and HOO in this Fic, but I'm not quite sure who all, so stay tuned ;)_

* * *

Annabeth ran through the castle, panting hard but not slowing down. She didn't care if it was lady-like or not, her parents weren't here to tell her either way, she was on vacation with her cousin for the summer at their summer palace. She held her skirts as she bolted through the halls. When she came to a room, she knocked once, grew impatient when there wasn't an immediate response, and threw it open.

"Where is he?" She panted, looking around.

A servant walked up to her. "He's going to be fine, your ladyship, resting in his bed. Don't startle him; he's had a bad morning."

Annabeth took a moment to catch her breath. "Of course, I just want to see him."

The servant slightly bowed. "Ring the bell if you need me." She said, before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Annabeth waited a full five seconds before hurrying into the bedroom, pulling a chair up to the bed. "Hi, Eric," She smiled at the Prince, putting a hand on his arm.

Eric returned the smile. "Hello, cousin. It's nice to see you again." He sat up.

"Do you need anything?" She asked.

He laughed. "No, I'm alright. All these servants, especially Grimsby, are making such a big deal out of this. I'm not allowed to get out of bed until tomorrow, and already I feel restless."

"That's what you get for taking a ship out to sea on your Birthday instead of spending it here with your favorite cousin," She teased.

He shook his head, still smiling. "I wanted to make my sixteenth Birthday special…"

"Well isn't your eighteenth Birthday supposed to be special?"

"It's the year I take the throne, and father and mother won't let me go anywhere then, so they consented for me to go out this year."

Annabeth sat back in the chair. She sighed, subconsciously ruffling the fabric of her bright red dress. It was a simple and short sleeved made with light fabric for comfort; it was refreshing to wear it, casual not being something her mother approved of whenever she was in the castle.

"I wish my mother would have let me go wherever I wanted for my Birthday. She said I need to wed soon, and she's starting to pressure me." She had turned eighteen a few months back, and her mother had thrown a massive party for her with every Prince she could think of, and then some. She had originally only wanted to spend the day with her family and a few close friends, but Queen Athena had insisted…

"Well, who knows, maybe you'll find someone you'll love." Eric said.

Annabeth snorted. "That's only in fairytales, cousin."

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"The only reason I'm here is because mother thinks there might be a nobleman's son." She didn't intend to talk ill of her mother, she really did love her, but sometimes she was suffocating.

The same servant from earlier appeared. "Your highness needs his rest now, your ladyship."

Annabeth sighed. "Alright, thank you." She stood. "I will see you later, Eric." She smiled, patting his hand before walking out of the room.

She walked back down the hall, through more corridors, out a side door, and onto a stone path that led to the beach. The ocean always made her happy, and she would sit on the sand back home when she couldn't sleep, sneaking out late at night, just to watch the waves.

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

"We just need to make sure you won't get a fever, your highness! You can walk around tomorrow, but for now you must rest!" The servant told Eric.

"Well, I'll be restless all night," He said.

"It'll do you good to sit still for a while," Grimsby said, standing nearby.

Eric rolled his eyes as they left. He hated sitting still, especially when he was still trying to figure out who rescued him. He knew it was a girl, her voice sounded like it came from the sea itself, beautiful and powerful. He hit the covers with one fist; he felt he was going to go mad if he didn't start searching soon.

Besides her voice, all he had to go on was her blue eyes, but a lot of girls had blue eyes. Maybe he could summon all the girls with blue eyes in the town and listen to them sing one by one…

That could take days, he thought. I need to narrow it down.

He sat back on the pillows. "This is going to take forever," He mumbled.

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

Sebastian nervously shuffled his claws, looking up at the King.

"Sebastian, I believe you've been keeping something from me."

"Oh, your majesty?" The crustacean squeaked.

"About Ariel," The King said, smiling mischievously.

"Ariel?"

"Haven't you noticed how she's been acting strange lately?"

"Oh, I, uhh, hadn't noticed."

"Oh really? You haven't noticed her, singing and humming to herself, floating around?"

"Not particularly, no sire," Sebastian said, his claws shaking.

"So you know nothing about her being in love?" The King said, his smile growing.

Sebastian couldn't take it any longer. "I tried to stop her, sir!" He exploded. "I told her to stay away from humans, but she didn't listen! They are bad, I told her, but she still didn't listen!"

"Humans!?" The King rose from his seat, Trident in hand. "What about humans!?" He bellowed angrily.

Sebastian's mouth dropped open. "Humans? Oh, uh, I don't quite know what I just said, err…" He abruptly stopped talking as the King loomed over him.

"Tell me everything. _Now_."

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

"Flounder, why don't you just tell me what's going on?" Ariel laughed as her friend led her to her grotto.

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise!" Flounder said excitedly.

Percy stood in the entrance. "They talked me into helping them," He shook his head, smiling at his sister. He swam aside, to reveal a stone statue of the man Ariel had rescued.

She gasped in delight, bolting to the statue. "Oh, Percy, Flounder, it's wonderful! It's perfect!"

She swam around it, twirling as she did so. "It looks just like him! It even has his eyes!" She draped an arm over the shoulder. "Why, Eric, you look rather serious today," She joked, twirling again and giggling.

Percy and Flounder looked at each other, smiling. Ariel looked at them, and then behind them, and then suddenly her face went from happiness to horror. "Daddy!" She gasped.

Percy whirled around as Flounder bolted behind a closed chest. Sebastian was behind the King, shame written on his face.

"Father," Percy said quietly, bowing. He backed up, positioning himself against a shelf, his eyes downcast. He was afraid of what his father would do to punish Ariel, and him.

"Have I been unfair, daughter?" The King said slowly. The tidal wave of quiet anger was held back, but when it broke through the wall, it would come in torrents, making it more terrifying then his loud rage.

"I am in charge of an entire ocean, and therefore I have to make rules regarding the surface. And I expect those rules to be obeyed."

"But Daddy I-" Ariel started.

"Is it true? You rescued a human from drowning?"

"Daddy I had to!"

"Contact between the human world and the mer world is strictly forbidden! Ariel you know that! Everyone knows that!"

"He would have died!" She said, guarding the statue.

"One less human to worry about!" He said.

"You don't even know him!" She cried.

"Know him? I don't have to know him! They're all the same! Spineless, savage, harpooning fish eaters! Incapable of any feeling-"

"Daddy I love him!" Ariel shouted, cutting her father off, and then gasped when she fully realized what she said, ducking behind the statue. She heard Percy's sharp intake of breath when they both saw their father's unbelieving expression.

Sebastian and Flounder both winced.

"No…" The King said with wide eyes. He then frowned. "Have you lost your senses completely? He's a human, you're a mermaid!"

"I don't care!" Ariel said.

"So help me, Ariel, I'm going to get through to you! And if this is the only way, so be it!" His Trident glowed, and Percy retreated to the cave entrance as his father sent thunder bolts at all the trinkets, smashing half the grotto in seconds, despite Ariel's cries.

"Daddy, no!" She screamed as he pointed at the statue, blowing it into a thousand pieces in his anger, the tidal wave finally breaking free.

She stared at the place the statue had stood, and then collapsed onto a rock, sobs racking her body.

The King turned around, his anger spent, glancing back in remorse at his daughter, leaving the destroyed grotto.

"Ariel, I-" Sebastian started.

"Just go away," Ariel said in between sobs. The crab complied, leaving with Flounder right behind him.

Percy swam over to her, and lifted his hand to her arm, but thought better of it, following his friends out the opening.

"I… I didn't mean to…" Sebastian said quietly when they were outside.

"Poor Ariel," Flounder sniffed.

"Maybe we can do something…" Percy said. "There is always plenty of human-made stuff in shipwrecks."

"I'm sure it wouldn't be the same," Flounder said.

Just then Ariel swam out, flanked on either side by two sea eels.

"Ariel?" Sebastian called to her. "Where are you going?"

She looked straight ahead, a determined look on her face. "I'm going to see Ursula."

Sebastian gasped. "The sea witch? She's a monster!"

"Why don't you go tell my father? You're good at that," Ariel snapped, silencing the crab as he followed her, Flounder and Percy close behind.

Ariel felt somewhat nervous but she didn't dare show it. She was furious with her father for what he did, and it gave her the courage to explore the humans more. She figured the sea King was just afraid, and if anyone could help her, it was the sea witch. _She _wouldn't be afraid.

The eels led her past a fish graveyard, bones upon bones resting on the ground as far as the eye could see in every direction. The furthest pile of bones belonged to a gigantic fish, its teeth still in its skull, a creature that must have died millennia ago.

"This way," Both the eel's hissed as they swam inside the skeleton. Ariel hesitated, trying not to glance back at her friends. She took a deep gulp of water, exhaled, and then swam inside. She was in a tunnel, and on the ground were odd plant-looking creatures she had never seen before.

"Come in, come in my darling. We mustn't lurk in doorways, it's rude." The sea witch cackled as the mermaid swam inside. She found herself in a small room, with a cauldron in the middle, a hole for sleeping on one wall, a few closed shelves, a desk and mirror, and another back entrance.

"One might question your upbringing." Ursula said, laughing again. "Now, you're here about humans, aren't you?"

Ariel stopped at the cauldron, nodding her head.

"And what about you?" Ursula looked at Percy who swam in behind her but ignored Sebastian and Flounder.

"I'm sorry?" Percy frowned.

"Don't you want to know about the humans as well?"

"I only wish to protect my sister."

Ursula chuckled. What a noble brother. "Very well," She sat in front of her mirror, checking her lipstick. "Well, you're after one particular human, a Prince, if I'm correct?"

"Yes," Ariel nodded more.

"Ah, yes. He is quite a catch isn't he," Ursula chuckled at her own joke. "Well, anyway, the only way to get what you want, is to become a human yourself."

Ariel and Percy gasped. "Can you do that?" Ariel half whispered.

The sea witch half smiled. "My dear sweet child, it's what I do! You could even say, it's what I live for!" She rose up, swimming around her cave, gathering all kinds of strange objects and throwing them into the cauldron. It started to bubble, and soon it was overflowing.

"All you have to do is become a human, go up there, and you're all set, my dear."

"But that kind of magic is forbidden!" Percy said, placing an arm protectively around his sister.

"Well, normally it is…" Ursula glanced around. "But a potion isn't." Another idea. "And especially when I trade you for something."

"How much gold do you want?" Ariel asked, her eyes trained on the cauldron, which was producing images of a mermaid gaining legs, a crown with a heart through it, and even the Prince's face.

"Oh, gold means nothing to me here. I need something more… Unique," The witch pretended to think a moment. "A simple payment, something you'll never even miss. What I want, what it would take, is your voice."

"My… My voice?" Ariel said with a hand on her throat.

"Exactly."

"Now, hold on a moment." Percy said.

"Okay," Ariel said, cutting him off, gaining a surprised look.

"But father would never…"

"He isn't here," Ariel looked at him, and then back at Ursula. "It's a deal."

That was easy, the sea witch thought. "It's done then!"

"What about me?" Percy asked, still frowning.

"Well, I suppose I could make two potions." Ursula said.

Percy bit his lip, looking from the witch to Ariel and then back again.

"It's okay," Ariel reassured him, laying a hand over his arm. "You don't have to."

He looked at her, and he could see that she really wanted to be human, even if only for a little while.

"Oh, and there's just one more thing." The witch said. "My potions only last for three days, unless the magic of true love is created to undo the reversal. So, you'll have to be kissed by him. And also, if you don't succeed, then you'll belong to me," She added simply, as if she had just commented that the mermaid would have to give her a flower or a decoration.

"No Ariel!" Sebastian shouted, only to be silenced by the two eels.

"Three days?" Ariel repeated. "How can I-"

"I'm sure you'll find a way." The witch smirked, making Percy's face turn red in anger.

"I'll go with her then." Percy said, crossing his arms.

"Excellent!" Ursula swam to her cupboard and took out two vials. She filled each to the top, corked them, and gave one to Ariel.

"Now, for your payment," She said to Percy. She tapped a finger on her large chin, genuinely thinking. She glanced at his eyes, noting their pure and bright color, the color of the sea.

"Well, I don't need _two _voices. I already have more than enough in my head."

Percy and Ariel stared at her blankly.

She waved her hand in a downward motion. "Bah, you kids have no sense of humor. Anyway, I think your sight would fit the bill nicely."

"My sight? But how will we communicate?" Percy demanded, frowning.

"Did anyone ever tell you love was easy? Because it isn't," The witch replied. She handed him the other vial. "Well, shall we?" She held up a contract, the paper glowing. Flounder and Sebastian looked on in horror, too afraid to say anything.

Both siblings looked at each other. "Last chance, Ariel. You don't have to do this."

Ariel smiled at him, and then picked up the feather pen and wrote down her name. Percy nodded, and did the same.

"Yes!" Ursula couldn't help herself from smiling widely. She swam to her cauldron again, her tentacles spreading to their maximum length in concentration.

"Ladies first," She sang, starting to chant nonsense. A whirlpool started, enveloping Ariel. "Now, sing!" She demanded, and Ariel started to wordlessly sing the old song about the sharkman and mermaid, her voice pure and clear. As Percy watched a few feet away, ready to jump in should anything go wrong, a pair of green misty hands rose from Ursula and lunged for Ariel's throat, pulling out a glowing orb of light, to be pulled into a large conch shell, her beautiful voice dying as the shell closed around it. It felt as if her heart would freeze at the coldness of the hands, and her throat felt numb and tight. Ariel clutched it, trying not to gag at the odd sensation.

"Now, the gentlemer," Ursula cackled.

Percy briefly hugged his sister, lending her strength, and then swam into the whirlpool. The same pair of hands reached out, pulling the sight from Percy. He could see the bright green color of his eyes as they too were taken, and he wasn't sure if his eyes kept the color or not.

"Don't worry, I've heard the other senses become stronger to make up for the loss of eyesight. Although, your eyes have turned silver for some reason," The witch said, smirking again. "It looks good on you anyway. Now, whenever you get to the surface, just drink the potions, and you'll have legs in less than a minute." She turned around, and then turned back. "Oh, and here."

Ariel watched as she reached into a trunk inside the perch and pulled out two pieces of fabric. "Human's wear these. You'd best put them on, I hear that showing legs is considered indecent.

Ariel took the fabric, which looked like fabric she had seen on a shipwreck once.

"Well, thank you… I guess." Percy said, trying not to panic. He gingerly reached out his hands, and felt relief when his sister's soft ones touched them. She pulled him with her, leading him out.

"Just doing my job," The witch cackled again.

Percy could hear the rustling of whatever the witch has given Ariel, and he smiled at where he thought her face was. She led him all the way up to the surface, gently pulling his head out of the water to adjust to the air. Flounder and Sebastian followed, still not saying a word.

They swam to the beach, where she pulled herself up on the sand with Percy.

"Are you alright?" He asked, breathless.

She opened her mouth and said something, but then remembered she couldn't talk, so she patted his hand. He smiled at her. She then turned her attention to the pieces of fabric, turning one over in her hands. They were faded and tattered, a weird brown color, and had two big holes in each end, and at one end there were two cylinders on each side. She thought a moment, trying to remember the skeleton she had seen the clothing on. She pulled it over her head, weaving her two arms through like she had seen. It was long enough to go down almost to the end of her tail. She wondered why humans needed so much clothing when all she ever needed was a seashell bra. She inwardly shrugged and handed the other fabric to Percy.

"What is this?" He asked, frowning while trying to figure out what it was with his hands.

"I think it's a shirt man," Sebastian finally spoke up, walking to the young Prince.

"Oh… What's a shirt?"

"Here, let me help ya," Sebastian said, motioning to Ariel. She pulled herself closer, and together the Princess and crustacean helped him get it on. It was longer, and reached the tail.

"Well, maybe not quite a shirt."

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

"Do you want to come with me?" Eric asked Annabeth as she helped him out of bed.

She smiled. "Why don't you take Max? I don't really like the sea very much, too much sand, it gets everywhere."

Eric laughed. "You'll miss out on a great adventure!"

"I'll come along on the next one!" She chuckled.

"Fine, go ahead and ruin my happiness," He teased, gaining a small punch in the arm.

"You'll be fine. Now go, before Grimsby changes his mind."

Eric half saluted her before walking out of the room to find his dog. Annabeth shook her head, smiling to herself.

"Max!" Eric called, searching the kitchen, one of the rooms his dog mostly occupied. "Here boy!" He called, looking under tables and chairs. He was greeted from behind by a big lump of fur, the dog sending him sprawling onto the floor, laughing. He ruffled his fur. "I'm happy to see you too, boy." He stood up. "Let's go outside." His dog happily followed him as he took the servants entrance to the beach, half running along it, throwing a stick around for Max to chase. His dog seemed to smell something on the wind, and suddenly took off running. "Max!" Eric called, putting on speed to try and chase the dog. "What's the matter!?"

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

"I'll drink it first, just in case." Percy said, and before he could get any sort of protest, he uncorked the vial and drank it in its entirety. It didn't have much of a taste to it, but the aftertaste left him gagging. "I'm okay," He coughed. He made a face, waiting for it to take effect.

Unbeknownst to him, Ariel had drank it when he did, making no sound whatsoever. So when she saw him double over, she knew it was from the burning sensation in her gut. She cried out silently, holding onto him, the pain blinding. She barely noticed Sebastian, hovering over them worriedly. The pain sailed through her entire body, her tail on fire.

Percy inhaled sharply, but other than clenching his jaw and both his fists, he made no other motion that he was in pain. She thought that if she still did have her voice, she would be screaming. She wondered if they were going to die, if the potion was faulty and the witch had tricked them, or if they just weren't strong enough to endure. She felt as if she was going to explode like a volcano she had once-

Suddenly, it stopped.

She hesitantly opened her eyes, staring at Percy's silver ones.

"It stopped." He whispered.

I know, she mouthed, and then slapped her forehead. She patted his hand again, and he nodded, understanding. Her eyes widened, and she ever so slowly looked down. Her tail had split, smoothed over, changed color, and changed shape. She extended one of the legs – her legs! – and wiggled what she knew were toes. She clapped her hands, grabbing one of Percy's and leading it to his own feet, which were bigger than hers and looked more masculine. She wondered if all men had legs like that.

"It worked," He said, actually smiling. "I can't believe we did this." He laughed, and she silently laughed with him. It felt odd, like she still could talk, but it just wasn't there, as if her voice box was still in her throat, but it was empty. She shook her head, not wanting to think too much about it or the loss.

They both stood up, leaning on one another, only to topple to the ground again. Sebastian started going on about how the sea King would be furious, and even tried to persuade the siblings to go back a few times.

"We have to see this through Sebastian, no matter what," Percy said, sitting down. "We'll find the Prince, and then she'll stay human permanently."

"And what about you?" The crab countered.

"I'll figure something out; but as long as she's safe."

Sebastian placed a claw on his forehead. "Alright, alright. I won't tell the King. Let's go find that Prince."

"If it's for Ariel," Flounder said from the water, flapping his fins.

Ariel grinned, kissing the crab and spinning around.

Percy looked up the beach, forgetting he wouldn't see anything anyway. "I hear something coming."

Ariel followed his gaze, to see a blur of something white bolting toward them. Sebastian jumped out of her hand and into the water. "Careful!" He warned.

As the blur got closer, Ariel could see it was the animal from the ship. It ran up to her, and she backed up in surprise, climbing on top of a rock.

"What's happening?" Percy asked, his head swiveling everywhere.

"I tink ya sistah made a new friend," Sebastian said, chuckling.

"Max!" A voice called up the beach from where the animal came from.

"Uhhh, what's that?" Percy asked.

"A human, don't give us away," Sebastian whispered, and Percy heard him jump in the water.

Ariel looked up from the lump of fur to see the very human she rescued, coming up the beach, still a good distance away. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she looked down at herself, wincing at her torn and soaking wet clothes. She looked at her brother, who looked almost helpless, and she chided herself for thinking about her looks when Percy clearly needed her. She got off the rock, wobbled over to him and kneeled awkwardly next to him, reassuringly placing one hand on his own.

He looked where he thought she was and smiled, squeezing her hand. "Thanks." She squeezed back in reply.

"We can do this, Ariel. We'll fix this." He didn't want to think about whether they succeeded or not, he would never see again. It may have foolish or not to immediately agree and jump right in, but at that moment, he didn't really care.

Ariel smoothed her hair down, trying to make the tangles decent. Under water she didn't need to worry, her hair was always wet and wouldn't get many tangles. But above water, it was starting to dry, and it felt gross already. All she knew what that two people appearing on a beach out of nowhere with torn and dirty clothes on, who looked like they lived under the sea their whole lives, could barely walk, and was lacking sight and a voice, was probably far from normal under human circumstances. It was probably far from normal under _any _circumstances.

* * *

_I'm trying not to make the storyline exactly like the Little Mermaid, because that's just boring reading the movie, and I've totally done that before, so I tried to change it up a bit. And sorry if Sebastian's words might be a little OOC, I really am trying (Or any other character ever, seriously). Anyway, happy writing!(:_


	3. It's a Dinglehopper

_Okay, four words: I hate Writer's Block. I'm not even going to try, but my computer malfunctioned, and well, yeah, I'm convinced technology hates me. Anywho, enjoy chapter 3._

* * *

Piper bolted through the door, swimming as fast as she possibly could. She had just heard the news; some of the Elite Sirens had seen a ship sinking in a storm, and were very close to it when one of them saw a man fall into the water. But before they could react, something zoomed down through the water, grabbed hold of the human, and raced back to the surface in the direction of land. The Queen had been most interested, and a muster was called.

Piper swam towards the Muster Hall; her silver tail propelled her through the water faster than the eye could catch without being blurry.

She reached the door just as the ceremonial horn was blowing, signaling the arrival of the Queen. The young Siren slipped inside, swimming to the middle of the Hall.

The building was shaped like an oval, and rows of carved rock chairs filled it like an arena, with the exception being that a stage was at the front in the middle of the Hall, where theater and other festivities were held. On the stage some Sirens had placed an ivory table and matching chairs, where Queen Aphrodite currently sat with her handmaidens, and the Sirens that had been at the site of the shipwreck.

It was Piper's duty to be there as well, being the daughter of the Queen, although it was merely formalities than anything else. She sat down on one of the empty chairs, ready to quietly observe the conversation. Her mother nodded briefly at her, and she returned the gesture, throwing in a small smile.

"Now that we have a bit more privacy, you are free to tell the entire story Iva," The Queen said to one of the Elites.

"Thank you, your highness," The Siren, Iva, bowed her head. "My sisters and I were following a current when we noticed the storm. It appeared out of nowhere, and it seemed to circle around the ship. We swam as fast as we could, but by the time we reached it, most of the men were already near the shore. We were just about to give up when I saw another human sinking in the water. And then," Iva trailed off.

"And then something grabbed him and sped towards land, correct?" The Queen prompted.

"Yes, your highness, something red and green."

"Do you have any speculation of what it might have been?"

The Siren looked nervous, and Piper thought she saw the woman hesitate. "We think it may have been a…" She stopped, cleared her throat, took a deep gulp, and cleared her throat again. "A Mermaid, your highness," she stopped, waiting for the Queen's reaction.

"I see," The Queen said calmly, the perfect state of ease.

Everyone looked surprised, but no one said anything. The Queen continued, talking about how the Sirens were losing ground quicker than before, and how they needed to be more diligent, things Piper had heard a thousand times. She wondered if her mother only said them so many times to prolong things for effect, as dramatic as she was.

"Perhaps the Mer are becoming friendlier with humans. I suppose this will need to be looked into. I shall think about this, and come to a conclusion before tomorrow," The Queen finished, making a clear signal that the Muster was over. The Sirens bowed before leaving the Hall. The Queen rose gracefully, her rainbow colored tail shimmering.

"Daughter," Aphrodite smiled at Piper, her look genuine and loving.

Piper smiled back, although uncertainly. "Goodbye, mother," she bowed, not rising until her mother left. She was always so uncertain about the Queen, although she did love her nonetheless.

She exited the Hall, grateful to stretch her tail, wondering at the decision her mother would make. Would she assign more Sirens to the outer border? Or perhaps she would send the Elite to investigate further.

Piper sighed. There were less and less Sirens every year that had the gift of Charmspeak. It was gradually becoming a rare talent, so much that the Queen had stopped banishing the ones without it to the Mer cities. Everyone knew it was because of Queen Aphrodite's Charm Mirror. It held every ounce of her power, and allowed her kin to Charmspeak. That was what set them apart from the Mermaids and their water moving gifts, and every Siren born without Charmspeak was just another Mer, and a few rare ones were born with the Mer's gift.

Over the years the Charm Mirror was losing its power, which was why the Sirens were banished in the first place, when they tried to restore it using the Trident illegally. They were dying out, and the Queen was weary from trying to discover the cause for so long.

Without realizing it, Piper had wandered away from the City, towards her favorite spot in the kelp forest surrounding it. She had found it a few years back, and it was her haven, her sanctuary when being the Queen's daughter was overbearing.

Piper finally found the open space that housed the old ship, her haven. She swam inside, coming to a stop in one of the rooms that she had deemed the book room. It held several bookshelves filled with books, and although they were torn and beyond reading, she loved to just sit and daydream.

Sitting on an old table, she rested her chin in her hands, wondering at the odd event of a Mermaid and a human.

"Was it real?" Piper said aloud.

"Is what real?" A voice said behind her. Piper whirled around to see another Siren with short blue hair and matching eyes standing in the doorway.

"Oh my goodness, Mira, you scared me half to death," Piper laughed, rising and hugging her best friend.

"My apologies," Mira smiled. "I thought I'd find you here."

"You know me so well," Piper smiled back, turning back around and sitting down. "I was just thinking out loud when you came in."

"What were you thinking?" Mira asked, joining Piper on the other side of the table.

"I was wondering if the story about the Mermaid and human is real."

"You think the Sirens lied? Or misunderstood what they saw?"

"No! I mean, I doubt not that it was a Mermaid, but what I want to know is if it is true? It could very well be a trick."

Mira tapped a finger on her chin. "Why would they need to trick us? We aren't much of a threat, especially with the Charm Mirror losing power."

Piper looked at her surprised. "You know about that?"

Mira nodded. "Me and a few others; all we know is that the Mirror is losing power."

"I suppose it's not hard to realize," Piper said, her shoulders slumping. She kept it secret to everyone but Mira, but she was worried about her mother, who was looking worse and worse every week, despite her best efforts to cover it up.

"The Queen will find a way to regain the power, and everything will be better," Mira said.

Piper only shrugged. "Perhaps."

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

The next morning, Piper sat in attendance in the Muster Hall, next to her mother again. The Elite Sirens sat in their usual places as well as the handmaidens as the previous day.

"Good tidings, Sirens," The Queen said, nodding around the table.

"I have called everyone here, for I have made my decision."

Piper could barely contain herself, not knowing if she could sit through formalities to hear her mother's decision.

"As all of you know, my Charm Mirror is… Fading. The power that lies within is dying, and I believe I know why." The Queen looked at Iva, the Elite from yesterday, and nodded. Iva rose from her seat, removed a bracelet from her wrist and gave it to the Queen. Piper leaned forward in her seat in anticipation. The Queen took a deep breath, and placed the bracelet, which was a simple silver band, on the pearl table in front of her.

"The reason I am losing power is not within the oceans. The source… It comes from land."

Piper, the handmaidens, and the Elite besides Iva gasped, appalled at the notion that someone on _land _could possible drain that much power.

"I have had many thoughts on the matter, and I have finally come to a conclusion." She faced everyone. "I am sending a Siren on land and giving them legs to investigate."

For a moment, the entire building was silent, and then everyone started talking at once.

"Be calm!" The Queen shouted. Everyone quieted instantly.

Aphrodite took a deep breath. "That's better. Now, my decision is made on whom I will send."

Piper's eyes widened as her mother gently pushed the bracelet towards her daughter.

"You, my precious daughter, will go to land, investigate any sources of magic that you find, and report back to me. This bracelet will give you legs, but it will only continually last until three days after you use it, as limited as my power is."

"Why me?" Piper asked quietly.

Aphrodite smiled. "Because you are my most powerful Charmspeaker, and you are the best Siren I have. This will be the perfect opportunity to learn about the humans, when you one day take my place as Queen."

Piper looked at the bracelet, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She looked at her mother, and noticed the hopeful expression on her face. She mentally sighed.

"Of course, mother, whatever you wish."

The Queen looked relieved; her worn expression lessened just the slightest bit. "Wonderful!" She placed a hand on Piper's cheek. "I will send you tomorrow."

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

Piper sat in her bedroom the next morning, a small bag in her lap. There were a few pairs of human clothes, a hair brush, a few pouches of gold, and a dagger. She was just finishing tying her brown hair back when there was a knock at the door.

"Enter," Piper said.

"Oh please, tell me it isn't true!" Mira cried even before she was through the entrance.

Piper smiled. "I am going to assume you are talking about tomorrow, when I go on land."

Mira swam over and took both of her friend's hands. "But you cannot! What if… What if something happens to you! I would never be happy again if you did not come back!"

Piper laughed, hardly forcing it. "It will be alright, Mira! I am honored to fulfill a mission for my mother." She realized it was the truth. Although nervous and frightened, Piper was quite excited. She had never been outside the Kingdom, let alone out of the ocean. She thought she might not hate having legs for a little while.

"I want to come with you!" Mira begged.

"Oh how I wish you could! But the Elite only had one," Piper said apologetically.

"What if I use ancient magic? Or look up a potion? Or even try to find another artifact!"

"Ancient magic is forbidden, potions are impossible unless you know how to make them, and do you really want to go looking through old abandoned ships and places?"

Mira sighed. "Not really."

"It will be fine. In three days, I will come back safely," Piper smiled again at Mira, rising from her bed and swimming out into the hall, her best friend following behind her.

"Promise me!" Mira said, close to tears.

Piper stopped and turned around, her smiling never dropping. "I, Piper, daughter of Queen Aphrodite, Siren of the Gold Coast, promise to my dearest friend, Mira of the Sirens, that I shall come back in three days time. I swear on the River Styx." A roll of thunder could be heard, even so far down in the ocean. "Is that better?" She added.

Mira nodded slowly. "It helps."

Piper took Mira's hand. "Come along then. Let's do something before I leave."

"Like what?"

"I'm sure we'll find something."

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

"Max!" Eric ran down the beach, shouting after his dog. After running for a few seconds, he stopped to pant, already tired from the physical exertion.

"Max!" He called again. A bark sounded further down the beach, so the young prince followed it. He rounded a corner and saw his dog jumping up and around two people, a girl and a boy. The girl had red hair and blue eyes, and the boy had black hair and silver eyes.

"Max, come on boy," Eric called, and his dog ran to him, still barking happily. Eric looked at the strangers who were sitting on the ground, noting the fear in the girl's face, and her arm was around the boy protectively.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone else was out here," Eric said. The strangers had torn and soaking wet clothes on, barely covering them. And their hair was mangled with pieces of seaweed in every other strand.

"We… We don't know where we are," the boy said. "We washed up here."

Eric's eyes widened. "Oh, your ship sunk then!" he ran over to them, and the girl's eyes widened. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it abruptly.

"Er, yes, a shipwreck. Please, could you at least tell us where we are?" The boy asked.

"I'll do more than that," Eric answered, kneeling down. "I can help you. You both look exhausted."

The girl nodded, and started to get up. The boy turned his head to look at her, placing a hand on her arm to keep her steady. She managed to stand up, and then tried to pull the boy up.

"Here, let me help you," Eric said. He straightened and reached out a hand to the girl, and she gratefully took it, pulling the boy up, who wobbled even more than she.

"Thank you sir," the boy said, looking somewhere off to Eric's left.

"Uh, I'm Eric," he extended his other hand for the boy to shake.

"I'm Percy, and this is my sister Ariel," the boy said, but continued to look in the same direction, ignoring the gesture. The girl, Ariel, bit her lip, tapping on the boy's shoulder.

"What, Ariel?" The boy asked, looking back at her.

She started motioning with her hands, but then stopped, tapping him on the shoulder again.

"I don't understand," The boy said, frowning.

Ariel seemed to sigh, but no sound came out. She looked at Eric, lifted her hand and waved it in front of her face, and then Percy's. His eyes didn't follow it, or make any sign that he saw it.

"Oh! You can't see!?" Eric exclaimed, but immediately winced at how rude that sounded.

Ariel nodded vigorously, not seeming to care either way how it sounded.

"Unfortunately, I lost my sight, ah, in the shipwreck," Percy said, turning his head in the direction of the sea.

"What about you?" Eric looked at Ariel. She again lifted her hand and tapped her lips, and then her throat. She opened her mouth and started to move it, as if trying to form words, but again no sound came out.

"You… You can't speak?"

Ariel nodded sadly.

Eric suddenly slapped his forehead with one hand. "Oh, what am I doing? Come on, I will help you both back to the castle so we can get you cleaned up." He positioned himself in between Ariel and Percy, allowing each to lean on him. He was starting to sweat and was already tired, but he didn't want to say so.

Ariel looked over at the rocks in the water, searching for Sebastian, who dove under water as soon as the prince near. The crustacean had hopped inside her hair when the human wasn't looking, holding on to her tangles with both claws.

"Thank you so much. We really owe you for this," Percy said.

"Not at all! It is my duty to help out a fellow human," Eric answered.

"How kind," Percy said, wishing more than ever that he could see at that moment, to look at Ariel and see what she was thinking. He always knew just by looking at her, but now he feared he would never be able to communicate past taps and pats.

"We're almost there," Eric said. He looked at Ariel, who nodded. As soon as they were in earshot of the castle, Eric started to shout. "Help!" He repeated the shout for a minute, until a few servants came running out.

"Your Highness! We heard you yelling!" A servant said, looking at the teenagers.

"I found these two on the beach, and they need help," Eric said.

"Oh you poor dears!" One of the servants said, a short and stocky woman, walking over and taking Ariel from the prince, helping her to the castle. A maid grasped Percy's arm, pulling him along with her.

"Thank you," Eric sighed, stretching and rolling his shoulders.

Ariel and Percy were quickly helped to the castle, where they were cleaned up.

"Oh, you must be exhausted, dear," the short servant, whose name was Margaret, sighed as she finished brushing the last pieces of seaweed out of Ariel's hair. She wore a white slip since her clothes were torn beyond repair and cleaning. The young girl nodded from her chair, smiling gratefully at the woman. They were in a guess suite, and Ariel was still marveling at the design and architect, the white painted walls with different colored flowers, the bed with silky sheets and fluffy pillows, and even the perfectly squared windows, so simple compared to the complex designs on the windows at Atlantica.

In another part of her mind, she hoped Sebastian and Percy were alright, but especially Percy; losing his sight must have been harder than he would have admitted. And the crustacean had jumped out of her hair the moment she entered the room, jumping out a window in the moment they were alone, promising to find her later once it was safe. She sighed, her voiceless breath sounding strange. Like wind in a hollow tunnel.

"Now, what color do you think suits you best?" Margaret said. She opened the wardrobe, looking at each dress while tapping a finger on her chin. Ariel stood from her seat, taking a look. All the dresses looked too flashy, too bulbous, or too tight. She shook her head, but then saw another dress in the corner. She pulled it out, smiling.

"Ah, that is a very simple dress, miss," Margaret said, surprised.

Ariel shook her head, walking in front of the mirror next to the wardrobe. The dress was very simple indeed, one layer of forest green fabric, with long tight sleeves and a pale violet lace covering the sleeves, the hem, and the neckline of the gown.

"But very comfortable," Margaret laughed.

Ariel smiled and nodded. The servant helped her slip the dress on, and then tie the laces in the back of the gown. She then helped Ariel put a pair of violet slippers on, a darker shade than the lace.

"Oh, it fits wonderfully!" Margaret said, clasping her hands together. Ariel looked in the mirror.

Strange, but not bad, she thought. She smiled at Margaret and hugged her, earning a laugh from the older woman.

"Well, the prince and your brother are waiting, miss. It's about time for supper," Margaret led Ariel from the room after one last look. She was led into a large dining hall, where the walls were made of glass. The checkered floor and dark wooden table were spotless, and on the table sat steaming platters of what she knew were fish, as well as several other foods she couldn't name.

Ariel smiled when she saw Percy seated in a chair at the table, who was dressed in a simple blue long sleeved shirt, and red pants, and black boots.

Prince Eric walked up to her, still wearing his plain white shirt and pants that reached just below his knees, with boots the color of the table.

"Wow… You look amazing," he smiled at her, making Ariel slightly blush.

"My sister always looks beautiful," Percy smiled.

A girl sitting next to Percy smiled. Ariel only then noticed her, and proceeded to look her up and down, suddenly feeling protective. The girl had long, beautiful golden curly hair, which was pulled behind her shoulders with a string of beads, a few locks left in front of her face. She wore a silky purple dress that seemed to flow like water around her. But most stunning were her eyes, a stormy gray, like the sea during a hurricane, but intelligent just the same.

Eric noticed Ariel looking at her, and then cleared his throat. "Ah, Ariel, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Princess Annabeth. Cousin, this is Ariel, Percy's sister. She was with him during the shipwreck."

Ariel walked over, feeling awkward and plain next to this girl. She bowed her head in greeting, extending her hand out like she'd seen Eric do. Annabeth seemed surprised at the gesture, but then lifted her own hand to shake Ariel's.

"It is lovely to meet you, Ariel," Annabeth said, still smiling.

"So, shall we eat now?" Eric suggested.

"Wonderful idea," Annabeth replied, returning to her seat. Ariel was just about to pull out the chair beside her brother, but Eric pulled it out for her.

"My lady," he said, his eyes sparkling.

Ariel laughed silently, accepting the offer. She patted Percy's hand to let him know she was there, and he smiled, managing not to turn his head.

A few serving maids went and set down plates of food in front of everyone, and Ariel gingerly sniffed the aroma coming from her own plate. She noticed a dinglehopper near the plate, her heart skipping a beat. Why was a dinglehopper there? She picked it up, wondering if it was the custom. She looked around the table; everyone had one as well. She was about to lift it to her hair when her brother spoke.

"Ah, Ariel, I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss here."

Ariel put down the dinglehopper, patting Percy on the hand again. She glanced at Annabeth, and everyone else, who were using the dinglehopper, but not for her hair, for putting food in her mouth.

How odd, Ariel thought. She picked up Percy's dinglehopper, putting it in his hand. She desperately wished to tell him how everyone else was using it, but he only frowned helplessly while going over it with his hands, unsure what to do, or even what he was holding.

Ariel felt frustrated; she didn't entirely know what to do herself. But suddenly she saw Annabeth set down her own dinglehopper and turn to Percy.

"You're holding a fork," she said matter-of-factly.

"A fork?" Percy said, raising his eyebrows.

Annabeth laughed. "Yes, a fork. Is your brain full of seaweed or something? You put food on it."

"I guess you're right," Percy said, his face turning slightly red. He smiled apologetically.

Eric looked at his new friend, and then his cousin. He gave her a _bit harsh, don't you think? _look, and she looked back mischievously. He shook his head, but couldn't help smiling. He looked at Ariel, who was frowning at Annabeth.

Uh oh, he thought. Here we go. He was almost glad she couldn't talk and start a fight.

"So, how's the food?" Eric asked, loud enough for everyone to hear. Ariel snapped her head up at him, seemingly startled by his question. She looked down at her food, and then proceeded to eat, wincing at every bite.

"It's delicious, cousin," Annabeth smiled.

Percy finally managed to scoop food onto his fork, and then put it in his mouth. It tasted strange in so many ways, smooth and creamy, but the texture was also different, sitting on his tongue while normally food would float around in his mouth under water. It took much less effort to chew and swallow, and the flavor was sharper.

"What is this stuff?" Percy asked when he swallowed.

"Umm, well, there are mashed potatoes, fish, and salad on your plate," Eric answered.

It must have been the first one, Percy thought. He moved his fork into the potatoes, eating it until it was gone. Percy half smiled to himself; he decided he liked potatoes.

Ariel caught the smile, and was happy that he at least enjoyed it. She was still having trouble adjusting. The food tasted dry and overwhelming, and Eric was giving her concerned looks. Finally, when she felt she couldn't eat anymore, she put her dinglehopper down and wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin next to her plate.

"All finished?" Eric asked, smiling.

Ariel nodded, grinning back. He looked so handsome, she could hardly be unhappy with him right there.

"I am full as well," Annabeth said.

"I couldn't eat anymore," Percy added.

Eric clapped his hands together, his eyes twinkling. "Okay, well, what do you all want to do?"

Ariel looked out the window, where she could just see the tops of buildings in the town.

"I think going to town and getting out would be a wonderful idea, sir," Grimsby, who was standing nearby, piped up.

"That sounds great, if everyone is interested."

"I wouldn't mind going out myself," Percy said.

"Whatever you'd like, cousin," Annabeth said.

Ariel nodded so hard she felt a wave of dizziness.

"Excellent!" Eric said. Twenty minutes later, they were in the middle of town. Ariel changed into a dress with a cyan gown, a dark blue corset, and pale sky-colored sleeves; a hair bow completed her look. And Annabeth had changed into a dark green gown and her hair spilled freely over her shoulders. The boys stayed in their clothes, not caring either way.

The youths walked all over the town, going from shop to shop, talking the entire time.

"I never asked you where you and your sister are from, Percy," Annabeth said as they were coming out of a bakery. She had looped her arm through his so he wouldn't run into anything, and he was walking almost perfectly by then.

"Oh, well, we're from very far away," Percy said.

"How far?"

"A boat is needed to get here."

"What is the name of your home?" Annabeth pressed.

Ariel saved Percy by suddenly jumping up and down excitedly. They had arrived at the town square, and people danced to merry music. She looked up at Eric, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Why not," Eric grinned. He and Ariel stepped out onto the circle of people, dancing and twirling.

"What's happening?" Percy asked, wondering at the music.

"Dancing," Annabeth answered.

"Oh," Percy said.

Annabeth looked at him, his face sad. She sympathized, not being able to imagine being blind. It seemed a terrible fate. She thought a moment, and then she had an idea.

"Would you like to sit down?" She asked.

"Alright."

They both sat on a stone bench near the square. Behind them, wild flowers bloomed on a brick wall. She pulled one from the vine, a yellow rose, being careful not to poke herself on the thorns.

"Here, can you smell this?" She brought the flower under Percy's nose, and watched him inhale, a tiny smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "That smells wonderful. What is that?"

Annabeth smiled. "A yellow rose. They're different colors of this flower, and they all smell different somehow, and yet the same." She pulled a pink rose off the wall, and let Percy smell it.

"Wow, you're right. They do smell different," he said. He turned his head where he heard her voice, smiling at her.

Annabeth thought that his eyes were beautiful in their rarity. "I read that the other senses get sharper to compensate for the lack of sight," she said.

Percy laughed, although it sounded a little forced. "That's true; I can hear and smell better than I ever could." What he didn't add was that he wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't under water or not.

"My parent's advisors agree with you then, they are old and losing their sight."

Ariel and Eric showed up then, panting and smiling, as the music died down to begin another song.

"Hello," Annabeth smiled at her cousin, his red and happy face.

"That was really fun. Hi Annabeth, Percy," Eric panted.

Ariel nodded, her face just as red.

"You should take it easy now, Eric. You don't want to overdo it and end up back in bed again," Annabeth cautioned.

"Oh, I'm fine. You worry too much," Eric retorted.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

Annabeth looked at Eric, her eyebrows raised. _I don't want to upset them by bringing up bad memories._ She already thought she may have pushed it with Percy's blindness, but she didn't want to test the line.

"Uh, it was just a small storm, that's all."

Ariel stared at Annabeth with a knowing sort of look, making her uncomfortable.

"What kind of storm?" Percy asked, completely oblivious.

Ariel lay a hand on her brother's arm, gently squeezing it.

"Oh. I'm sorry," He said, biting his lip.

"It's alright. Why don't we start walking back, now?" Eric suggested, chuckling to try and reassure the boy.

"That sounds good," Annabeth said as she and Percy stood up, again looping her arm through his. They walked away from the square, the music still floating around them for a few minutes, lively and happy.

_**()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()**_

A man stood at the highest window of one of the buildings near the square, looking down at the four teenagers. "You've barely made the deadline, witch," he snarled behind him.

"Well don't blame me, you have no idea what it's like dealing with kids these days," Ursula replied from the glass ball.

"But you're supposed to be powerful. It's why we have our contract in the first place," he said.

"I _am _powerful, wizard. Maybe even more powerful than you."

He whirled around. "Don't you _dare _compare yourself to me! If I wished, I could burn your entire ocean! I could turn you into a child, or a pile of bones. You are a weak compared to me!" He threw magic at the ball, and the frowning face of Ursula disappeared.

"Pathetic. This better work you insignificant squid, lest you incur my wrath." The wizard walked back to the window, but the youths had moved out of sight.

"Three days, and then I shall have my revenge."

* * *

_Annnnnnnnd I really hope this wasn't too boring. I'm pushing through the block, ugh, and I'm gonna get more characters in. By the way, I started BoO, and I'm only part way through, with so much restraint. Kbye._


	4. Leo the smooth talker

_Okay, so the communication - or lack there of - between Ariel and Percy is sort of starting to bug me. So, I was thinking of having them be able to read each others thoughts or something. Any suggestions? Reviews would make me write faster ;) Oh and Merry Christmas guys! I was gonna post something, but then I got bored and didn't finish. but I thought it was about time I continue. So yeah, suggestions would be lovely! Okay, on with our story!_

* * *

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Piper floated just below the surface of the water, hesitating, staring up at the sky she knew was blue even without the tint of the sea. All she had to do was pull herself up the beach, slip on the silver bracelet, and speak the words to activate it.

She sighed. She didn't want to do this. She was glad she was alone; Mira had wanted to come along for support, but Piper told her she needed to do this by herself.

She took a deep breath, and then before she could frighten herself anymore, she launched herself out of the water with her powerful tail, propelling her forwards until she landed on the sand. She slipped off her satchel she brought with her and took a deep breath of the air. There was still oxygen in the water which her gills took care of on the sides of her waist just above her tail, but this oxygen was much dryer, and she winced at the odd feeling coursing through her disused lungs. No wonder her kind rarely surfaced above the sea anymore.

She rested on her side, taking a minute to adjust to the change, and then slipped on the bracelet her mother gave her.

"I wish to be human," she whispered to the band. Immediately, she gasped when an odd feeling coursed from the bracelet down the side of her torso, enveloping her tail. She clenched her teeth and tightly closed her eyes as her scales smoothed over, splitting down the middle, a tingling sensation all she could feel. When it dulled and then ceased, she opened her eyes and looked down. Her beautiful silver tail, which she had always been embarrassed about, was gone, replaced by two human legs the same color as her skin. She wiggled what humans call feet. It felt so different.

"This is going to be fun," Piper said sarcastically to no one in particular.

She took another deep breath, planted her arms on the sand, and attempted to stand. She rose halfway before her arms slipped, and she crashed back down.

"Ow," she mumbled, rubbing her arm where she fell on it. Again she tried, and she managed to get halfway up without falling. She looked around and found a rock, so she crawled to it, holding onto it with both hands and using it for balance. She rose all the way up, her newly acquired legs wobbling underneath her. She smiled in triumph. And then she looked down at the rock and slowly removed one hand. She still held up, so she removed the other. She let out a squeal as she fell down once more.

"Humans make this look so easy," she groaned. Not that she'd ever really seen a human, but she'd read about them.

Piper stood up and leaned against the rock again, taking this time to look around. In front of her was a forest, but when she looked above the trees, she could barely make out towers. The leaves on the trees were a deep green, free of the blue tint of everything in the ocean. The soil underneath was a rich brown, the same color as the trees. Everything smelled different, but it was a pleasant kind of smell.

"The castle?" She wondered.

After another minute, she again attempted to stand on her own, and succeeded. She would have let out a whoop, but decided against it. She didn't want anyone who might be around to hear her. And then she looked down and noticed that, besides her simple white bodice and sleeves, she was wearing nothing else. She sat down on the sand and reached for the satchel, starting to dig around in it. She tried to ignore the strange feeling of the sand on her legs when she found what she had been looking for: a skirt. It was as white and as simple, if not more so, then her bodice, and after slipping on undergarments also contained in the satchel, she stood up and gingerly stepped inside the skirt. It was dry and warm, courtesy of magic. She plopped back down on the sand, panting. She considered herself to be quite healthy and in good shape, but this was nothing like she'd ever experienced before. It was easier to move around, but she felt heavier, a contradiction in itself. After resting for another few minutes, she finally rose, and after putting her satchel around her shoulder, set off somewhat wobbly towards the towers she could see, in the direction opposite the ocean.

Piper figured it would probably take a few hours to get to the town, for which she was grateful, as it afforded her time to get used to walking. And she did, for after an hour or so, she could run for a full ten seconds without falling. It seemed that her former strength in her tail and the power of the bracelet gave her strength in her legs, since her mother had told her it took human infants a long time to even stand up.

The sun was starting to set as she found herself standing outside the perimeter of the forest. She could see that the town was a short distance away and that beyond it was the castle. She was told that that particular castle was only occupied in the summer and that there was a council to rule over the people in the spring, autumn, and winter months. A summer castle, they called it.

Piper started walking, determined to reach the town before nightfall despite her aching feet. She didn't even want to think about the blisters already forming. So she walked on, focusing on studying her surroundings, which consisted of open fields, the forest behind her, and of course the castle and its town.

She eventually reached the town gate as the sun started to set, which was wide open. She could see people bustling around inside as far as she could see. They were so lively, so joyful. She remembered a time when her people were like that, but those days were far behind her.

She walked through the town, people smiling and greeting her along the way. She stopped short when a smell wafted through the air towards her; it was an aroma she didn't recognize. It came from a window on one of the many buildings packed together along the street, so she practically ran towards it and opened the door. Immediately the smell became stronger, enveloping her in delicious warmth.

"Good evening, ma'am," a man with graying brown hair and brown eyes at the back of the room smiled. He was standing next to a tall pillar-like structure made entirely out of what humans called bricks. It was wide open on the bottom, but curved as it ran upward. In the middle of the structure near the bottom, there was a square hollowed out section, as well as another hollow crevice beneath it, and a golden magic danced within. She'd seen something like that only once: fire.

"Hello, sir," she smiled back, tearing her eyes away from the flames. "What is that amazing smell?"

"Why, this is a bakery. And you must smell my bread." He walked over to a counter and lifted an object from a basket. He offered it to her.

"Would you like to try one? I give out one loaf to each new customer."

Piper hesitated, but then took it. "Thank you." It crackled when she put pressure on it, but when she tore off a small piece, it was soft inside. She put it in her mouth, and immediately her eyes brightened. She'd never eaten above the surface before; the food was delicious.

"This is wonderful," she exclaimed.

The man laughed. "Thank you, ma'am. I pride myself on my baking skills."

Piper smiled, and then put the bread in her satchel for later. "My name is Piper."

The man bowed dramatically. "I am Anderson. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure, indeed," she said. "I have only just arrived here, and I want to see more of the town before dark."

"Oh, of course, I do not want to keep you. But if you have need of bread, or cake, or any other food, I'm open most of the day," Anderson said.

"I'm sure I will be able to visit here again. Thank you, Anderson," Piper walked to the door and managed to make herself leave the wonderfully-smelling place. She stepped into the street, breathing in the fresh air, before continuing her exploration. After a minute or two, she noticed a glass window in another shop, and inside sat hollowed out pieces of material on shelves. Piper sat down on a stone bench and dug in her satchel. She had almost forgotten about the book she was given. She leafed through the pages until she came to the one she was looking for. There was a picture of the same object in the window.

"Shoes," Piper read aloud. "People wear them on their feet? To… Oh, to keep them protected." She looked down at her blistered feet, wincing at the pain. She'd done a good job of forgetting about it, but now the pain all came back. She looked through the window again.

"Why not," she decided. After walking in and searching through the shelves, she found a pair that fit her nicely. She paid for them and walked out, clenching her teeth at the strange feeling they caused, even without the painful sores. She took a deep breath of the evening air, looking up at the sky, which was slowly filling with stars in the dying light. She had never been above the surface at night, and she marveled at how beautiful they were.

She stood there, wondering why she'd never stayed above the water after nightfall, when suddenly something slammed into her, knocking her onto the road, her head hitting the hard, uneven stone.

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Leo felt bad.

He'd tried so hard to watch where he was going and not run into anyone, especially someone who hadn't seen him coming, and _especially _a pretty girl. She landed on her head, and she just sat there rubbing it.

"Oh oh oh, I'm so sorry!" He gasped, picking himself up and offering her a hand.

"Ow," she glared at him, but accepted his hand anyway.

"Um, I didn't break anything, did I?"

"Not that I can tell, yet. But I wouldn't be surprised if I felt it in the morning. Oaf," she added under her breath."

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I really am sorry. I was in a hurry to get back before my shop closes."

The girl looked at him, surprised. "You can own a shop so young?"

"Eh? Oh, no! I, err, mean my father's shop." He really wished he knew how to talk around girls.

"Oh," she said. "What kind of shop does he have?"

"He's a smith." Leo's eyes widened. "Oh, I forgot I needed to get back."

The girl tightened her grip on the satchel she was carrying. "I'll walk with you. I want to see it."

Leo shrugged. "Okay, but it might not seem that exciting." He started to walk and the girl followed.

"What's your name?" the girl asked after a few moments of silence.

Leo mentally chided himself. Always the smooth talker. "Oh, sorry. I'm Leo."

"My name is Piper," she said.

"I've never seen you around here before. I'm guessing this is your first time being here, Piper?"

"Actually yes, I'm visiting for a few days."

"How many?" Because that didn't sound creepy at all, Leo thought.

"About three or four days," she replied.

By then Leo could see the red glow of his father's furnace on the street and the clang of metal on metal. He started to walk faster, and Piper followed his pace.

"Father?" Leo called when they neared, but then immediately chided himself again. His father couldn't hear him; the clanging and the roaring of the fire was too loud. So Leo waited until he reached the open door of the shop, smiling and waving at his father.

He glanced up, and grinned, pausing his metalwork. "Hello, my boy!" He bellowed over the loud noise.

"Hi dad," Leo walked inside, and then stopped, looking back at Piper. "Dad, I ran into this girl on the street. Her name is Piper, and she's new to the town."

"Hello, sir," Piper smiled at Leo's dad, curtseying ever so slightly.

"Ah, so polite! Kids these days," Leo's father laughed.

Piper smiled at him. He seemed like a happy, jolly sort of man. He wasn't exactly handsome, but she didn't care. She knew her people considered her features to be the most beautiful, but even though her mother wouldn't approve, she didn't think people should be punished for how they've looked from birth.

"I suppose we wouldn't know," Leo shrugged, giving Piper a _that's my dad _look.

"So, how long are you staying in our fair city?" Leo's father asked.

"Only a few days," Piper answered. "I am only here to… See the sights," she lied. Of course she had to. It was her mission.

"About three or four," Leo added. He stopped himself from slapping his forehead. Obviously she could speak for herself.

"I only have so much time. It would be quite impossible for me to stay longer."

Leo's father nodded.

Piper glanced outside, noting the dark streets. She bit her lip; she had been warned about the potential dangers of being outside after dark. In her home, the night was her favorite time, when the lights dimmed and everything grew quieter.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight, miss?" Leo's father asked.

Piper shook her head. "No, I haven't found an inn or anything. And please, call me Piper. Everyone does."

"Of course, Piper. Well, my son can show you to the nearest inn. I would ask that you stay here, but I'm not sure if that would be comfortable for you. My wife…" He trailed off, and then cleared his throat. "She passed away years ago, and my home has never been clean since."

Leo could feel heat rising up in his cheeks, and it wasn't from the furnace.

The girl just laughed. "I'm sure I can handle a little bit of dirt." She looked at Leo, wanting his input. After all, it was his home too.

"Oh, yeah, sure! It's no problem, er, I mean it would be a pleasure to have you stay with us during your, er, stay."

"Wonderful," Piper grinned. "Thank you Leo." She looked at his father. "And thank you, sir."

The man smiled. "Please, call me Hephaestus."

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Ariel looked down at the water, arms folded over her stomach, hands clenched. She hadn't stepped foot into any body of water since she transformed, except for the daily baths that Margaret gave her.

But now she stood on the beach, the waves lapping close, too close, to her feet. Percy stood beside her, his eyes closed and face turned to the cool wind. Eric and Annabeth were sitting on a picnic blanket close by in deep conversation.

Ariel looked out at the water and the setting sun, an odd feeling in her stomach. Her stomach sank when she realized she _missed _the water. It had barely been a day and she was already homesick. Her excitement and feeling of adventure overthrew it, but it was still there. She sighed, not even caring anymore that there was no sound to it. She didn't want to think about her voice; otherwise she would miss it too. She shook her head, her bright red hair flying with the motion.

She grasped Percy's hand, reaching down and picking up a seashell. She pressed it into his hand, and he cocked his head to the side.

"What's this?" He asked. He turned it in his hand a few times, and then his eyes lit up. "Seashell," He laughed.

She squeezed his arm in reply, looking up at his eyes. They were so empty, so different. She looked at him sadly, wondering what it must have been like. She wondered if he could still move the water; probably. Of course, among humans, it would be foolish.

"Want to go in?" A voice said behind them, startling Ariel out of her thoughts. She looked to see Annabeth, skirt held in one hand, and shoes in the other.

"We're fairly close to the castle. I think it would be alright if we got a little wet."

Percy turned around. "I think I'll pass for now. But go ahead, Ariel." He looked at her, and she could see his eyes were twinkling for a brief moment. She smiled and squeezed his hand, nodding at Annabeth and holding up a finger, leading Percy back to the blanket. He sat down and patted her hand. She smiled, taking off and putting her shoes down, and hurrying back over to Annabeth. She nodded towards the water, and then after the blonde put down her shoes a safe distance away, she jumped right in. Ariel followed, gasping at the cold water, but loving the feel of it on her new legs. She decided she wouldn't submerge completely – she still had to adjust to having to hold her breath – but she would go at least halfway in.

Annabeth splashed her, so Ariel splashed her back. The other girl started to laugh, a happy sound. Ariel laughed too, but then she stopped when no sound came out. She stood still altogether, a hand on her throat, her eyes watching the water.

Annabeth noticed, and stopped, her eyebrows furrowed sympathetically. She wondered what it was like not to have a voice, or eyesight. She waded up to Ariel, laying a hand on her arm. She looked up, smiling gratefully at Annabeth. She suddenly gave the girl a hug, surprising Annabeth.

_Thank you_, she mouthed when she pulled away.

"You're welcome," Annabeth laughed.

Back on the beach, Eric lounged stretched out, hands behind his head. He watched stars appear in the sky one by one.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Percy said beside him.

Eric wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but after a while he just grunted.

Percy chuckled. "It's okay. I mean, the wind is really low, but you can still feel it. And I can hear the waves, and behind us I can hear crickets. And sometimes you can hear birds. It's just so… Peaceful."

"Wow," Eric said. "You're right."

Just then the girls ran up to them, dripping and laughing.

"Have fun?" Eric laughed.

"Yes," Annabeth said, sitting down next to them, Ariel joining her.

"Ah! You're wet!" Eric yelled, making his cousin laugh harder.

"You'll get over it," she said.

"Let's go back then, so you both can dry off."

"In a minute," Annabeth said, glancing at Percy. "I want to just sit here and watch the sky. It's so beautiful at night."

They all sat silently, and at first Ariel thought it would be awkward, but it wasn't. Her brother sat contentedly, staring off into nothing. Eric rolled off the blanket to make room for Annabeth, and she sat right next to Percy, nonchalantly placing a hand next to his. Ariel looked at Eric, who smiled at her, making her blush. Fortunately, he couldn't see it in the moonlight. She then followed the Prince's gaze, looking up at the stars. She remembered when she had first seen them, the first time she'd met Scuttle. It was a day that she hadn't been with Percy, and she'd been bored. Flounder was with her that day too, and she had just met him. She briefly wondered where he and Sebastian were, but knew they were somewhere nearby. She lay on her back, the memories coming easily.

"_Come on, Flounder! Let's try it!" Twelve year old Ariel begged, looking pleadingly into her little friend's eyes. _

"_Aw, you know what happens when we stray off, Ariel! We get in trouble!" Flounder complained._

"_Oh, don't be such a guppy!" She retorted. _

"_I'm not a guppy!" He said defensively. _

"_Then you'll come with me then," she said. "I'm leaving with or without you," she added. Turning around, she swam through her bedroom window, looking around to make sure no one was watching. After a few seconds, she flew out into the city, smirking when she saw Flounder following her. She wove through building spires and orbs of light, finally stopping at the edge of the city, staring curiously out into open water._

"_Amazing," she breathed. She'd never risked this before; she'd stood in that same spot a dozen times saying she'd go, but now she was actually going to do it. She was going to go out into open water._

"_Ariel! We can't go too far!" Flounder panted, catching up with her._

"_Have you ever seen so much empty water?" Ariel asked, ignoring Flounder's plea._

"_No, and I don't plan on seeing any more of it."_

"_Oh, come on! It's an adventure!" She took a deep breath, and then took the first few strokes out of the city._

"_Wow," she whispered. She swam further, and then started twirling around, laughing happily. _

"_Flounder, come on!" _

"_I don't know, Ariel…" _

_She looked up then, and high above her head, she could just make out the thin, flowing ceiling of the water's surface. She'd heard about it from a lot of the merfolk, but she'd never even thought about it much. She started to swim upward._

"_Ariel, what are you doing?" Flounder cried._

"_I want to see what's up there," Ariel said dreamily._

"_What!? Ariel, I've heard stories about the surface!" Flounder squeaked. He kept trying to block her path, but she maneuvered around him each time._

"_I heard that tiny drops of water pour down on you, millions at a time! I heard the people have two pale fins that hold them up, and they can go really fast! And they eat fish!" _

_Still Ariel ignored him._

"_They have colors that can blind you, they're so bright! And the sun can hurt you! Ariel!" Flounder cried, following her all the while. She went far ahead, so that he could barely see her anymore._

_Suddenly Ariel felt her head break the thin ceiling, a bright white flash assaulting her eyes. She gasped, her breathing ragged and strained. She dunked her head under the water, staring wide-eyed at the world above. After a few minutes, she lifted her head above the surface again, her tail straining to keep her up. Her eyes were blinded again, but not as badly. Her breathing evened, and after a few minutes, she could finally see._

_The world she saw was beautiful. The sky was shaped like a huge round dome, unlike the vast expanse of sea that had no shape. And crossing the sky were huge white fluffy-looking things resembling pillows, just more wispy. The water sat unevenly but horizontally with some of it rolling – waves, she knew – around. It was a lighter blue, but then it met the sky in the lightest blue she had ever seen. And high in the blue dome was a circular orb._

"_The sun," she said, awestruck. It was like the orb in her city, but bigger and brighter. Her head felt heavier above then below, and the wind, something she had only ever heard about, blew around her sharply making her shiver. But it was beautiful nonetheless. It was perfect._

_Flounder suddenly caught up, not daring to rise above. Ariel dunked her head again._

"_Flounder, it's amazing up there!" She squealed._

"_Ariel…" Flounder whined._

"_I can't believe I've never gone up here before!" She looked around, swimming some more in the same direction, more or less. In the distance, she spotted something gray. She started to swim faster towards it underneath the waves, occasionally lifting her head above to make sure she was still going the right direction._

_By this point Flounder was quietly swimming beside her, too afraid to speak up. Finally, she reached the gray object, and she smiled when she saw that it was a rock, sitting on a tall pillar. She hesitated, but then drew herself up, shivering when her whole body came up onto the rock. She laughed when her hair, weighed down by whatever it was above the water, sat limply on her head, her face, and down her back. Her green tail looked brighter in the sun, and she sat back, basking in the light of it._

_Flounder finally broke his head above the surface, reacting in a more dramatic way than the mermaid had. _

"_Isn't it beautiful, Flounder?" Ariel asked dreamily._

"_I still t-think we're g-g-gonna get in trouble A-ariel," the fish replied. _

_Again Ariel ignored him, and instead started to sing a song she heard about huge things humans used to cross the seas. She'd heard it from a merman once, but his friend had quickly shushed him. She didn't have to ask why._

"_Hey, something's coming!" Flounder suddenly said._

_He was right; a white object was flying out of the sky towards them. It looked like some sort of animal. _

"_Ariel!" Flounder cried. "Ariel, come on!" He said again._

"Ariel?" Percy's voice found its way into her burst awake, not even aware that she had fallen asleep.

"Looks like you enjoy this place," Eric chuckled. "You were asleep for almost half an hour."

Ariel opened her mouth to voice her surprise, but then quickly shut it again, remembering everything again with a silent sigh.

"Should we go back, now?" Percy asked.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Annabeth replied. They stood up, brushing the sand off of their clothes. Eric rolled up the blanket, the girls picked up their shoes, and then they made their way to the castle in the soft moonlight.

* * *

_So, someone - it was under guest - made a request for me to make Hazel a human, and Jason a mermaid. I was actually going to make Hazel human, but I wasn't sure about Jason. I'm still working on that part. But I pretty much have the other character's planned out, so that's going to be fun._

_And one more thing: I'm really struggling with Leo. I hope I'm at least getting his character a little bit. Ugh, it's soooooo hard. So forgive me if I don't capture his Leoness correctly._

_See you guys next chapter! I take requests, and criticism is greatly appreciated(: _


	5. H-E-L-L-O

_I'm totally running out of excuses of why my chapters are late. Meh. But I'm so close to getting all of the characters intro chapters in. I'm close, and then I can go on with the story. I want them all to come in either on the first day or before the first day. _

_Also, I want to say something. I've thought long and hard about putting Nico in. I really have. I almost did in this chapter - I started to write it. But I'm not going to. Even though the characters have to be slightly OOC because of the setting and time, I try to integrate their beliefs/personalities/etc. But putting Nico in here and keeping him with who he is, about how he feels about Percy, well, i'm not judging or hating, it just strongly goes against my beliefs, and changing that wouldn't feel right. So I just wanted to point that out early in the story. I may lose readers, and I may not, but it won't change anything. _

_But, anyway, without further delay, here's the story._

* * *

Hazel quietly opened the back door, trying not to step on the squeaky floorboards. She tightened the grip on her sack, slipping out onto the back deck, the sudden click of the door handle making her flinch. She crept to the edge of the stairs and snuck down them into the soft moonlight. She then walked around the house until she reached the east side, and then sprinted to the woods near the house, stopping just behind a tree and crouching, taking a breath. She double-checked the contents of the sack, and then walked through the forest more normally now that she was out of immediate danger of being seen. She walked for a few minutes, guided in the dim light by white marks on the trees, before she felt safe enough to light a torch. Finally, after a few more minutes, she came to a tree marked with a large white X. She set the torch in a crook of the tree's branches, and then sat down next to it.

Opening the sack, she pulled out a small white table cloth and smoothed it out on the ground. Then she pulled out two jugs of water, a loaf of bread still warm from the oven, two apples, and then a frosted pastry. She set the food on the cloth, and then waited.

She was starting to doze off when a noise erupted from the bushes to her left. She stared at it, placing a hand on the dagger at her waist, but then removed it when a young man emerged from them.

"I had hoped that was your light," Frank smiled in relief when he saw Hazel.

She stood up and stretched, her relief also apparent. "Who else would be out here this late? And speaking of which, you were supposed to be here before I even arrived."

He scrunched his face guiltily. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just on my way when some duchess accused me of stealing her headdress feathers. Man, the guard chased me for several blocks."

"Hey, I'm not the one eating cold bread," Hazel teased, walking back to the blanket.

Frank shrugged, but smiled as he followed her.

They sat down, and she handed him the bread. He looked at her, surprised. "A whole loaf?"

She nodded. "I made it myself, so my father would stop getting suspicious about the half-loaves "disappearing". I just wish he would understand." She sighed. Frank's mother died several years ago, and his father was obsessed with war and didn't much care, so Frank had lived with his grandmother, until she kicked him out to join the army, which he refused. So now he lived on his own most of the time, when he couldn't find work. It saddened Hazel, who wanted to help him and give him a home, but she knew if she tried talking to her father, who owned a mansion, he would tell her that they did not give charity to stragglers, and might have even gone so far as to enlist the boy as a soldier. She met him two years ago when he was asking around for work. She had instantly liked him, and they had met every week in secret ever since.

Frank laid a hand over Hazel's. "It will be fine. As soon as you are old enough to live on your own, we will leave this place and go to a new land, where we can make a name for ourselves and start a home."

Hazel smiled at him. He said that every time they met, and she knew he meant it. But she was only fourteen, and he fifteen. It would be another three or four years before her father couldn't tell her who and who not to marry.

"Well, you don't want to break a tooth on your bread if it's frozen solid," Hazel laughed. "Go on, eat."

Frank grinned at her, before ripping off a piece, handing it to her, and wolfing the rest down. She tore small pieces off and munched on them, sitting back against the tree and watching the torchlight flicker off Frank's dark hair.

After he finished both pieces of bread and they shared the pastry, they sat talking about the city and then the castle.

"So do you think the Prince is going to walk around town during his vacation?" Frank wondered.

"I heard his cousin was visiting with him for the summer," Hazel said.

"Do you think she's anything like him?"

"I wouldn't know. I haven't met them yet, but my father talks about it. He isn't sure, though."

"Well, we aren't royalty; we might not see them ever."

"True."

The bushes near them suddenly started rustling, and both froze, their eyes snapping in the direction of the noise. They hardly even breathed.

It came closer and closer, until Frank stood up, picked up the torch and waved it around.

"Get back!" He yelled, in an effort to frighten whatever it was.

Fortunately it worked, and the unknown creature ran back the way it came, the bushes rustling even harder.

"My goodness," Hazel murmured. "What do you think it was?"

Frank shook his head. "I have no idea. But I don't want to stick around just in case it comes back. I'll walk you back." He offered her a hand up, smiling like a gentleman and making Hazel blush. She accepted it, dusting off her skirts.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Of course," Frank replied.

They quickly packed up the blanket and then walked back, risking keeping the torch lit until they were close to the edge of trees in Hazel's backyard.

"I'll see you next week?" Frank asked hopefully.

"Of course," Hazel laughed. He asked every time he saw her, as if she would reject him. She didn't mind – in fact, she thought it was cute.

He kissed her on the forehead, and she squeezed his hand.

"Goodnight," they said in unison, and then Hazel ran back through the trees, and snuck quietly up the porch stairs and through the door.

When she was safely in her bed and nightdress, she stayed awake for a few minutes, wondering what it would be like to leave her father and live with Frank. He was so sweet, and he could have left any time he wanted, but he waited. For her.

She sighed happily. Just a few more years, and then it wouldn't matter what her father wanted. Hazel smiled as she drifted into dreams of her and her love.

* * *

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Noon light danced through the tree leaves near the window and onto Hazel's face. She opened her eyes, yawning as she sat up. She swung her legs out of bed, standing up and stretching. She walked over to her mirror, wincing at her messy curls and immediately grabbing a hair brush to try and keep them under control. After ten minutes, they looked only slightly more manageable, so she shrugged and went to her wardrobe to change into a yellow summer dress.

When she was done, she exited her room and descended the stairs, her stomach growling. She went into the kitchen, grabbing a muffin and a napkin.

"Good morning, miss," the cook, who was making pudding, greeted Hazel, not even mentioning that it was late.

"Hello, Gretchen," the girl smiled.

"Hazel?" She heard her father call her name from somewhere in the house. "Is that you?"

"Yes, father," she called back, slipping the muffin in her skirt pocket. She affectionately patted Gretchen on the shoulder before making her way through a hallway connected to the kitchen, and into the living room where her father sat in a chair, reading.

"You're up later than usual," her father commented, looking up at her.

"Yes, father."

"Did you not sleep well?"

"No, I slept fine."

Her father raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

Hazel shook her head. "No, father."

"Alright then."

Hazel wasn't sure whether she was relieved or annoyed. It wasn't in her father's nature to be very curious, and normally if she told him something, he didn't press any further. She knew he loved her in his own way, but it was still a distant and formal kind of love. Hardly the affection Frank showed her.

"Father, may I go into town today?" Hazel asked. "I would like some fresh air."

Lord Hades nodded. "Yes, my daughter, you may. But take a servant with you. We cannot be too careful."

"Of course, father." Hazel curtseyed before leaving the room, sighing as she made her way to the laundry room. Upon entering the small but clean room, she was greeted with several curtseys from the maids standing up.

"What can we do for you, miss?" A new servant named Molly asked, never setting down the shirt she was mending in a chair.

"I'm going to town, but my father wants someone to accompany me. Would you like to join me, Molly?"

"If you wish, my lady," the girl, only a year younger than Hazel, said nervously.

"It's your choice, Molly," Hazel smiled reassuringly.

"Go on, girl. I'll finish up the mending," a stern maid spoke to Molly. She was in her sixties and had been in service to Lord Hades since before Hazel was born. She was a no-nonsense woman, and often commented that the younger servants always had to learn their place.

"O-of course, miss Arianna. Right away." Molly stood, handing the needle and thread, as well as the shirt, to the older woman. Arianna just grunted, bowing her head to Hazel before walking off.

"Are you ready?" Hazel asked.

"I am ready whenever you are, miss," Molly answered.

"Goodbye," Hazel waved to the rest of the maids, who curtseyed in return.

They walked in silence until they walked off the porch of the house and onto the stone walk.

"So, do you like it here?" Hazel asked.

"Yes, miss, I like it very much," Molly answered, hardly looking at her.

"My room is larger than one half of my family's home."

Hazel frowned. "Truly?"

Molly nodded. "Yes. I am very grateful for this job."

More silence followed them into town, where they stopped to look at the various shops and stores. The last shop was a bookstore, and they stopped to go inside.

"Can you imagine reading so many books?" Molly said in awe.

Hazel laughed. "I hate reading. I prefer to actually live an adventure, not just read about it."

"That's a shame, miss. I have read the most wonderful adventures in books." Molly's eyes widened. "I'm sorry. I have forgotten my place."

Hazel put an arm on the girl's shoulder. "You really don't have to worry. You can relax around me; I don't bite."

Molly nodded, a hint of a smile forming on her lips. After looking through the shelves some more, they left the shop, walking towards the town's main square, music and the smell of food drifting through the air.

"Would you like to dance?" Hazel joked as they came upon pairs of townspeople twirling around the square, and just as many standing around and talking.

"I'm not really sure I should, miss," Molly said, missing the humor.

"It's alright, I was just kidding," Hazel grinned, making Molly smile sheepishly. They instead sat down on one of the stone benches, watching the couples dancing.

After a while, Hazel closed her eyes, enjoying the summer air and all the fragrant smells of the different colored roses.

"Would you like to dance?" A voice sounded out of nowhere.

Hazel opened her eyes, immediately smiling. Frank. She looked at Molly, who was staring at the boy with a blank face.

"You don't mind, do you Molly?" She asked.

The maid shook her head, smiling. "Not at all, miss."

Frank offered Hazel his hand, and she took it, standing up and letting him lead her to the middle of the square.

"What exactly are you doing?" Hazel asked, but couldn't help her smile.

"Asking a beautiful girl to dance. That isn't a crime, is it?" He asked, feigning innocence.

"Try telling my father that," Hazel laughed. "I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased, either way."

"Well, if he has a problem, he can say so."

Hazel shrugged. "He is still my father, after all."

Frank sighed. "I know, I know. I just don't want anything to happen. I really do love you, Hazel Levesque, legitimate or not. And I don't want to always meet you at midnight."

They fell silent, content to dance while looking into each other's eyes.

Suddenly a flash of blue and red caught Hazel's eye. She looked over, breaking the trance, and saw the Prince dancing with a girl.

"Frank," Hazel whispered, motioning with her eyes to the couple.

He looked over, and his eyes widened. "Strange timing, huh?"

She chuckled. The prince looked happy, and the girl looked even happier. It reminded Hazel of her and Frank.

After a while, the prince and the girl went to sit down with another boy and the Prince's cousin.

"Do you want to rest, too?" Frank asked.

Hazel nodded. They walked back, out of breath and panting.

"Did you have fun, miss?" Molly asked, smiling. She was reading a book she must have had in her skirts, as she had no time to bring one along.

Hazel nodded. "Indeed."

She noticed the Prince, his cousin, and the two strangers walking off in the direction of the castle. She wondered who the other two were, and if they would be staying for the whole summer. A flash of light from one of the building windows above caught her attention. She looked up to see a figure standing there, looking down at the teenagers. She frowned.

"-head back now," Frank was saying to Molly, interrupting Hazel's thoughts.

"What?" She asked.

"I said I need to head back now. I'm doing some work for the baker at the moment, and he's going to be wondering where I am."

"Alright. I'll see you later, then?"

"Of course," Frank kissed her hand, and then walked off, smiling to Molly. They waved, and he waved back, starting to run when he got farther away.

"Shall we look around more, miss?" Molly asked.

Hazel turned to Molly. "Yes, we can look around a little more and then go back. I'm sure you have chores to do."

Molly nodded, and they started walking slowly to the rest of the shops. Before they left the square, Hazel looked back at the window, but the figure was gone.

She frowned as she stepped on something hard. She reached down and picked it up. It was a gem, a small sapphire. She was nervous, but why?  
"Are you alright, miss?" Molly asked, concern laced in her voice.

"Yes, of course. Let's go," Hazel said, slipping the rock inside her skirts, remembering about the muffin. She decided she would give it to Molly, or someone else. For some reason, she didn't feel so much like eating.

* * *

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Ariel looked down at the bed, one arm folded over the other and a fist sitting under her chin. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to get on it, or if there was any graceful way. She had already tried, but she bounced and wobbled on the velvety covers.

"You have no idea wut I do for you young lady," Sebastian said from atop the vanity. "I was sure I was gonna be fish food today. Of all the bad mannered, hot tempered, wretched humans…" He trailed off when he looked at the bed to see the former mermaid had already jumped under the covers and was fast asleep. He sighed, but a smile pulled at his mouth.

"You are hopeless, you know dat." He yawned. "Completely hopeless," he walked tiredly onto the pillow next to her head.

Ariel stayed still, hoping Sebastian would think she was asleep. It seemed to work, so she sighed happily as she drifted off, wondering how her first sleep on the surface would be. But unexpectedly, she dreamed of Atlantica, and guilt and homesickness washed over her as strong and constant as the ocean waves

* * *

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Annabeth stood at the window in Eric's room, looking out at the moonlit sea. Eric sat as his writing desk, reading a book. She had tried reading, one of her favorite things to do, but her eyes played tricks on her more than usual, and she gave up on it entirely when the letters started jumping clear off the page.

"We should do something," Annabeth said, speaking up for the first time in minutes.

"You'll have to be more specific than that," Eric half muttered, not looking up.

"Well, do you not think we should help Percy and Ariel? They're a long way from home; surely their family must miss them."

"What do you think we should do, then?"

"Perhaps ask them where they hail from, and then send letters to inform their home of their safety?"

"We could do that," Eric said thoughtfully. "We'll just ask them tomorrow."

Annabeth looked at the door leading to the hallway. "I have an idea how to talk to Ariel, too. I think we should give her a notepad…"

"That sounds exhausting."

"So does not being able to talk."

"What if she can't write? I mean, she seems intelligent but there aren't many people in town who can."

"True, but she isn't exactly from here." Calling the girl intelligent reminded Annabeth of something she had seen earlier. When they mentioned Eric's accident, Ariel had looked at her strangely, as if there was no surprise in the news. She wasn't sure if it was just because it was something Ariel could relate to because of her and her brother's accident, or if it was something else. Either way, Annabeth decided to keep an eye on the siblings, although she doubted it meant anything.

Suddenly she had a thought. Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone.

"Eric, what if we were to assign someone to help Percy around, at least while he adapts to his new 'condition'."

He frowned at her. "Assign someone?"

"I mean, he probably won't want a lot of people around him helping him all the time."

"Wouldn't Ariel just help him?"

"But they can't communicate very well. I think maybe one of the soldiers or something."

"And who would you suggest?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I think I know someone."

Eric sighed. "Alright, we'll ask them tomorrow about it, then."

"I really just want to help."

Eric smiled. "I know, cousin. I know."

It was true. Part of it was her wanting to keep an eye on their guests, but the other was just her wanting to make his condition a little easier.

"Goodnight, Eric," Annabeth kissed her cousin on the cheek and walked to the door.

"Goodnight, Annabeth," Eric smiled at her as she exited.

As soon as the door closed, he looked back down at his book. He sighed. It told him nothing new; nothing different. He had looked through the royal library with all of its dusty tomes and hand-written scrolls, but so far, he had only found a few books detailing what he was looking for. They all said the same thing: mermaids were not to be trusted, with their siren songs and their unmatched beauty. One note of their song or one look into their eyes and the next thing you knew you would be crashing into rocks. He knew all of that; vacationing so close to the sea, his parents had warned him of such creatures.

So then why, in his half-conscious, water-logged state, had one such mermaid rescued him?

* * *

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Eric walked across the courtyard, deep in thought. His cousin had asked him to meet her in one of the castle's guard towers; a surprise, she had said.

But he was still trying to unravel the mystery that was his rescue. At first, he told Grimsby about it, and Annabeth, but they had only told him to rest, thinking he was delusional, so he stopped talking about it. And he had completely forgotten about it when Percy and Ariel appeared. It isn't every day that someone washes up on shore practically at the back door of the castle.

Ironically, they were very near the place he had been left. The last thing he remembered was the ship exploding, and falling into the freezing salt water. And he opened his eyes to a beautiful voice, and he could barely see her face, but he knew she was as real as the hand she held against his cheek. And then, when he heard Max bark and Grimsby call him, for the briefest moment he saw what looked like a tail when she jumped into the water. He admitted that for a brief moment, Ariel's red hair and blue eyes reminded him of his rescuer, but her human legs and missing voice was a clear sign that she wasn't what he was looking for.

He looked up as he reached the tower, the two guards at the door standing to attention and saluting him. He nodded to them, and then opened the door. The bottom floor consisted of small tables, a few windows, and several crates pushed to the back of the room. Upon entering, he found his cousin sitting at one of the small tables with a young man, talking and laughing. Annabeth looked up.

"Hello, cousin."

The young man looked up at him as well, and immediately stood up and bowed, knocking over the chair in his haste. "Your highness."

Eric smiled. "Please, call me Eric. There's no need for formalities."

"Of course, your high – err – Prince Eric," the man said. He had curly brown hair and freckles, and seemed to be a few years younger than Eric.

"His name is Grover, and I think he would be just fine for Percy," Annabeth said.

Eric sat down. "I believe I remember you. You're a soldier, aren't you?"

Grover smiled nervously. "I'm only a recruit, Prince Eric. But I hope to be promoted soon."

The Prince smiled reassuringly. "I hope so, too."

"Well, shall we go?" Annabeth suggested, flipping her hair behind her back.

"I want you to meet Percy. I think you'll like him."

* * *

**_()/\/\/\\()~Under the Sun and Sea~()/\/\/\\()_**

Ariel sat at the desk in Percy's room, writing on the notepad she had been given. She had almost given up hope on trying to communicate with her brother about what she should and shouldn't tell everyone, until Sebastian kindly offered to translate.

"And I think you should just say that we were on the boat by ourselves and the crew, and then the storm hit, and we were both separated from them," Percy was saying from his position on the window seat. "And at this point, we don't even know if they're alive." They were just finalizing the details, but the gist of it was that they were traveling by boat to another city to meet with extended family, but then came the storm.

Ariel wrote something down on her pad.

"Ariel says that won't dey wanna send lettahs to your 'extended family' to tell them you're alright?"

"Well, why else would we be traveling by ourselves? If we say we were with our parents, they would want to search for them, and since we just happened to meet the Prince, they'll figure out that we aren't who we say we are."

Ariel wrote more words.

"She asks how would we deal with da lettahs if we went with your plan?"

Percy rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm not sure. But right now that seems like the best shot we have. We can't keep pretending we're in shock forever, especially if we're going to live here." Now that he said it aloud, Percy almost winced. He'd forgotten about that, when all he could think of was adjusting to his blindness.

He heard a tapping noise, and assumed it was Ariel tapping the feather pen on her notepad. Suddenly, he had an idea. He searched with his hand until he found the wall, and used his knuckles to rap on it.

_H-E-L-L-O._

He had completely forgotten about Morse code. Ariel and he had learned it when they were little, when they were talking and didn't want their sisters to know what they were saying. They had originally wanted to use sign language, but they would know about it. With Morse code, they would think they were just tapping out random rhythms.

Ariel snapped her head up. She wasn't sure if she was just hearing things, but it sounded like her brother was talking. She was a little rusty, but she put down her notepad and pen, and tapped on the wood of the desk.

_H-E-L-L-O._

Percy smiled. "I can't believe we didn't think of this before. It's perfect."

"_You're a genius," _Ariel tapped,

"_Why thank you," _Percy tapped back, laughing.

Sebastian looked from Ariel to Percy, a confused look on his face. "Anybody wanna tell me what's going on?"

Percy laughed harder, making Ariel laugh with him. One look at the crustacean's face sent the red head into a large fit of laughter, clutching her stomach and not caring for once about how no sound came out, only air.

"We're talking in Morse code," Percy said once he had calmed down enough. It was a silly thing to laugh at, but at this point, he welcomed any excuse to be happy, especially when they only had two days left.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Well then, I guess you don't need me anymore."

Ariel shook her head, picking up Sebastian and kissing him on the head. Still he crossed his claws, refusing to look her in the eye. She set him down on the desk, picking up the notepad and tearing off the pieces of paper she used. She ripped them up, crumpled them into a ball, and then threw them in the wastebasket by the bed.

"_Where do you think Annabeth and Eric are?"_ Ariel tapped.

"Eric told me that Annabeth told him that she had a surprise for us. Something to help, I suppose."

"_Do you think it will help?" _

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Ariel nodded, and then stood up and walked over to her brother, giving him a hug.

"_I love you,"_ she tapped.

"I love you, too," he smiled.

"Humph, teenagers," Sebastian said.

* * *

_I had the perfect idea for Morse code when I was trying to think of a way to communicate. I know it wasn't invented until, like, the 1800's, and the Little Mermaid timeline is several centuries before, but besides outright telepathy between the two, it would be hard. Because, honestly, the notepad really does sound exhausting for something more than a few words, even though it could be translated by Eric or Annabeth. So at least they have an easier way to communicate. _

_Anywhoo, happy writing!_


	6. Cupcake

_So I hadn't realized until a few chapters ago, but this is such a challenge to write, which is one reason it's taking me so long to update. The plot, all the characters, it all jumbles in my head more than once while writing it. So, I'll probably make more than a few mistakes. I may have taken on more than I can handle, but I'll try my best. I think I'm about halfway through, although I really can't guarantee anything. Also, I hope I don't write anything confusing through the chapters. But I won't bore you with AN any longer. On to Chapter Six! _

* * *

**…**_**-…Under the sun and sea…-…**_

* * *

Jason felt like he was going to explode. He felt restless on this boat; he wanted to run but there was nowhere _to_ run. He sighed.

His father thought it would be good to take a "practice run" of going to other kingdoms they had peace treaties with to spend time with the royalty of those kingdoms. And he thought that spending the summer with the Prince of Denmark would be the right task. He had only met a few other royals before, but they were stereotypically whiny and unkind, certainly far from his siblings. He just hoped he could handle whatever personalities they had. After all, he knew his father really wanted to make him strong by sending him into unknown places. That was always what he wanted. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent him while the Prince and his cousin were vacationing on an Island.

As he stared out to sea, someone came up behind him.

"Admiring the sea, are we?" Hedge leaned on the railing next to Jason.

"Yes, sir," the boy looked at him. Although a Sergeant, Hedge had known Jason for only a few months, but even though Zeus was the king of the largest kingdom in the entire Atlantic Ocean, he regarded his training as top priority over many things, so he sent the man with his son so he wouldn't miss any sessions.

"It's a fine day for sailing," Hedge commented.

"Yes, sir," Jason agreed. He wasn't sure what he thought of the short but strong man. He seemed to prefer battle to peace, and he had the strangest habit of calling everyone 'cupcake,' whatever that was. He wondered if it actually had anything to do with cake, but he was almost afraid to ask.

Jason wanted to sigh, he still felt so restless, but he didn't dare make such a noise when Hedge was so close. He only hoped they would reach land soon. He didn't mind sailing; on the contrary, he was most happy when the salty wind was blowing in his face and the boat was speeding through the water, but he had never been outside his father's kingdom. It was so large, that even when he had been on boats, they never even reached the borders far out to sea. He was almost nervous, but on the outside, he remained cool and collected like any well-mannered prince. Or soldier. He wasn't sure which one he was most like yet.

The lunch bell rang throughout the ship, and Hedge immediately straightened.

"Nothing makes me hurry more than the prospect of food," Hedge chuckled. "Are you coming?"

"Yes sir, I'll be right there," Jason nodded. "I just want to stand here a few moments longer."

Hedge shrugged. "Suit yourself. You better hurry before the crew eats it all." And by that, he meant him. He lumbered over to the stairs and disappeared below decks.

Jason waited a few moments, and then let out his sigh. He himself straightened from the railing, and then walked over to the stairs. Normally, royalty and other higher-ups would eat in the Captain's cabin, but Jason's father wanted him to know humility – even though he himself would never do such a thing – working alongside lower class people, those who had to work for their food. That was how he was brought up.

He descended the stairs, smiling at the song the crew was singing in between eating. He only hoped he would be as comfortable on the island as he was on the ship.

* * *

**…**_**-…Under the sun and sea…-…**_

* * *

"Land ho! Three points off the starboard bow!" The captain called.

Jason came up topside, walking to the railing and leaning over to catch a glimpse at the gradually growing landscape on the horizon. He could barely see the beach and rock cliffs along the shore. He could see seagulls flying around what he assumed were the docks. Dolphins swam around the ship, making him smile.

He fidgeted with his sword the entire time it took to reach the island and dock at the bay. He could barely contain himself when he walked off the gangplank. Waiting impatiently for Hedge, he breathed in the salty sea air, looking around at his surroundings. It looked like any other dock, with houses peaking up over the palm trees and the castle towers visible behind them, but stationed off to one side, where the sea met the docks, was a large double-gated wall. He couldn't see past, but it seemed to be part of the main city walls, although the closed and locked gates were beautifully carved, their ancient-looking golden color standing out against the plain white walls. He could see water flowing through them, and he wondered if they were possibly the King's private docks, something his father would never have allowed.

He was taken out of his thoughts when Hedge came strutting down the gangplank, his head barely reaching Jason's shoulders but held high nonetheless.

"Ready to see the island, kid?" Hedge grinned.

"Yes sir," Jason nodded.

The older man grunted. "When we're on vacation, you can just call me Hedge."

"Yes si–I mean, Hedge," Jason stuttered.

Hedge laughed, clapping him on the shoulder, his demeanor totally different. "That-a boy." He picked up his bags one of the crewmen had carried for him, made a loud noise somewhere between a sigh and a grunt, and started off towards the city. Jason did the same, minus the noise, and followed Hedge to the front of the docks.

They didn't get very far before two maids and a man-servant greeted them, standing ramrod straight on the line separating the docks from the city. The man-servant was wearing a suit and his gray hair was tucked back into a ponytail.

"Good afternoon, your highness," the servant bowed to Jason. "My name is Grimsby, and I was sent to personally collect you by Prince Eric's orders."

Jason nodded. "Thank you. This is Sergeant Hedge, my companion."

Grimsby nodded. "Very good, sir. If you will please follow me, I will escort you to the castle."

"Of course," Jason said. He and Hedge allowed the maid's to take their bags, and then followed the servant through the city streets. It was a beautiful day, and the birds were singing and Jason could hear and see children laughing and chasing each other while mothers and fathers sit or stood around talking, although everyone bowed when they passed; news of Jason's arrival no doubt spread through the small community, and it wasn't hard to distinguish him by his royal sword and even the way he walked, like a world's worth of responsibility was on his shoulders and yet he carried them with strength.

After a few minutes of this, they came to the castle gates which opened when they neared, the wood grinding on stone and the scent of freshly cut grass flooding Jason's nose. He walked inside, marveling at the simple beauty of the castle walls and then of the castle interior. Where his father's halls were decked with paintings and tapestries of his endeavors and feats of strength and courage, these walls held only a few in each room, and instead had massive windows which looked out onto the island, the sky, and the sea.

I think I'm going to like it here, thought Jason.

The maids carrying their bags were excused by Grimsby to take them wherever their bed chambers were, and Jason briefly wondered if his would have as many windows.

As they stepped into the throne room, they saw a young man by another window looking out at the city. He turned around when they came in, and he smiled.

"Thank you Grimsby," he said.

"It was my pleasure, sir," the servant replied, his stoic expression momentarily curling into a smile.

"And you must be Prince Jason and Sergeant Hedge. My name is Prince Eric, although you can just call me Eric."

Just Eric, Jason thought. He only hoped that wasn't the only part about him that was relaxed. "And you can just call me Jason," he offered, returning the smile.

"Well, then Jason, would you like to see the bedchambers you'll be staying in for the time that you're here?" Eric asked. "And then you can meet my cousin."

"Sure," Jason agreed

"Works for me," Hedge said, still looking around.

"Alright," Eric said, gesturing towards the open doors and walking through. He started walking up the stairs.

Jason hadn't expected Eric to personally show him, but he mentally shrugged and followed him up. They walked through several corridors and took several turns before Eric stopped at a large oak door.

"Sergeant Hedge, this will be your bedchambers," Eric said, opening the door. "I hope they are to your liking."

Hedge stepped inside, followed by the two young men, and whistled.

"Look at that view," Hedge laughed. "This is most certainly to my liking."

Eric seemed to smile in relief. "Excellent." He walked out, and Jason followed.

"I'll be out shortly," Hedge muttered.

"Yes sir," Jason said, and then winced at his mistake, but the Sergeant didn't seem to mind. When Jason walked into his own room, his eyebrows raised in surprise. There was the sitting room when you first walked in, with the bedroom behind a door to the left, and a study off to the right. The sitting room contained a large overstuffed blue couch with several fluffy pillows. Two chairs of the same material and color sat opposite it, and a dark wooden coffee table sat between them. A large fireplace sat unused on the far wall between two massive windows.

"It's beautiful," Jason said. "I agree with Sergeant Hedge about the view." It was the same as his room, save for the color of the furniture. He peeked into the study. It had a bookshelf taking up most of one wall, and a desk with pen and ink as well as stacks of paper in one of the drawers. There was also a window, and a candle on the desk so as to provide the most light.

And finally, the bedroom had a giant king-sized – Jason jokingly said he was still a Prince – canopy bed with silky white sheets and sea-blue velvet drapes hanging over it. There was also a regular wooden chair by yet another large window and glass doors leading out onto a balcony overlooking the sea. Besides a vanity and wardrobe sitting against the last wall, there was nothing else in the large room.

"This is definitely fit for royalty," Jason chuckled, but he wondered how his father would have reacted to it. He didn't want to offend the prince, he told himself. So he didn't say anything about it.

"I'm glad you like it," Eric smiled. It seemed genuine. "Shall we continue the tour of the castle, or do you want to rest after your long journey?"

Jason shook his head. "I wouldn't mind seeing the rest of the castle. I feel like I've had too much rest on the ship, however strange that sounds."

Eric laughed. "I understand." He started to walk towards Hedge's room, but he wasn't there.

"Do you think you can guess where he went?" Eric asked.

Jason thought a moment. "I'm sure he went to find the training grounds. He's, er, very interested with battle and weapons."

"I see," Eric nodded. "Well, he has free reign of the castle, as do you."

Jason nodded himself.

They walked through more corridors and stopped to look at the trophy room, which was mostly just for show, the guard towers and quarters, and the kitchens.

"Eric?" A voice sounded while they were in the art room. A girl entered the room through another set of doors. Jason's eyebrows rose. She had beautiful long golden locks, and her dress of the same color seemed to float around her. She had stormy but intelligent gray eyes, and they were sparkling.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were with a guest," she said, walking up to them.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," Eric said, his face turning slightly red. "I completely forgot that Prince Jason here is going to be staying with us for the summer. Part of a diplomatic mission to keep our peace treaty strong with Olympia."

"Oh, my mother told me about that. I wasn't sure when it would happen." The girl turned to Jason, curtseying with a warm smile. "My name is Annabeth, and Eric is my cousin. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Jason bowed, returning the smile. "The pleasure is mine, Princess Annabeth."

"Please, call me Annabeth," she said.

Just like his cousin, Jason thought. And hoped.

Eric turned to her. "You were calling for me, were you not?"

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Oh, yes! I wanted to tell you that I think our guests our getting along fine."

Eric smiled. "Great. I hoped they would."

"Do you have another Prince staying here for a diplomatic mission?" Jason joked.

Eric chuckled. "No, only you. There was a shipwreck, and two of the survivors washed up here. They will be staying here for a while until we can get them back to their home."

"Wow," Jason said.

"Exactly," Annabeth agreed. "It's a… Different situation."

"I can imagine," Jason nodded.

"So, do you think we should go find Sergeant Hedge now?" Eric asked, changing the subject.

"Alright," Jason agreed.

"May I join you?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course," Eric smiled.

They walked out of the trophy room and along more halls until they exited a small wooden door out into the sunshine. They made their way on a grassy lawn until they reached a large tower.

"The armory," Eric explained. When they entered, Hedge was leaning against a wall, holding a giant battle axe and talking to a young soldier, who was nodding nervously at him. Despite his size, Hedge must have looked intimidating to the boy.

"Sergeant Hedge," Eric called to him.

"Your highness," Hedge grinned at the prince, turning around. The young soldier stood at attention, staying where he was.

"You must be princess Annabeth," Hedge bowed to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Sergeant," she greeted, nodding her head politely.

"Would you like to see the rest of the castle, Sergeant?" Eric asked.

Hedge nodded, "If you don't mind, your highness. I'm pleased to say that this armory is up to date." He occasionally glared at the soldier for no apparent reason. Jason briefly wondered if he would call anyone 'cupcake'.

"You're free to join us, of course, unless you want to settle in?" Eric turned to Jason.

"I think I'll settle in for now," Jason said.

Eric nodded. "Of course. I can show you the way if you want."

"Alright," Jason agreed, trying not to smile at Hedge, who reluctantly put the battle axe back on the weapon rack.

They exited the tower and walked back through the lawn and then inside the castle as they made their way to Jason's room.

"Lunch is at 12:00," Eric said. "I'll have a maid find and show you to the dining room at that time. Remember, you have free reign of the castle and its services."

"Thank you," Jason smiled.

"Of course," Eric replied. He then motioned Hedge towards the hallway. "Shall we?"

"It was nice to meet you, Jason. I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay here," Annabeth curtseyed as they left, the prince and Sergeant going one way, the princess going the other.

"Thank you," He said after them, walking into the room and shutting the door once they turned a corner. His clothes and other necessities had been unpacked and had been placed neatly in their proper places, another foreign concept to Jason. He shrugged to himself, and exited the room in search of a door leading outside. He wandered for a while, trying to remember the turns and hallways Eric had lead him through, when he found a small door. Opening it, he was relieved to see it led outside, so he stepped out, breathing in the fresh summer air. He walked around until he found a gate that led to the town, and he looked up at the sky to see where the sun was. He figured he had about a half hour or so before noon, so he walked through the gate and down the small road. It couldn't hurt to explore the place where he was going to stay for the summer.

* * *

…_**-…Under the sun and sea…-…**_

* * *

Piper yawned. She had woken up and, feeling a strange weight on her entire body, had scrambled out of the bed, remembering that she was on the surface when she hit the floor.

"Ouch," She mumbled as she sat up, rubbing her head. She winced at her dry hair, wondering how humans could stand it. Then, completely remembering where she was, she looked around the small but comfortable room. She had been so tired last night when Leo had shown her to the guest room and it had been dark, so she had hardly changed into her nightgown before collapsing into bed. Now, she saw that besides the bed, there was a vanity near the door with a small wooden bowl on it as well as a pitcher of the same material and a cloth towel neatly folded next to it.

Piper's bag sat on a wooden chair sat next to the bed and on the other side was a nightstand. A painting of the seaside completed the contents of the room.

She stood up, stretching her sore limbs and rubbing her feet. She took the dress out of her bag and changed out of the nightgown, slipping the dress over her head. Then she stepped into the shoes and took a small comb out of her bag. She brushed out her hair and then put it up into a ponytail.

She walked up to the vanity and examined the bowl, not sure what to do. Shrugging, she left it alone and opened the door. Immediately, the smell of food washed over her, and her stomach growled. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Leo and his father were. They were having a lively conversation about smelting and tools, and Leo paused and smiled when he saw her.

"Morning!" He said.

"Good morning," she smiled back. "Whatever you're making smells wonderful."

Hephaestus grinned at her across the room where he stood flipping some kind of food on a flat object with another flat but thin and small object. "Just some eggs and ham, but I found some cheap spices on the market yesterday."

"He's a great cook," Leo told her. He was sitting down at the table, but he was constantly fiddling with nails and screws and a tool. She hadn't seen his hands stay still for more than two seconds since he ran into her on the street. She figured it wasn't anything he drank.

"So Piper, do you want to go explore the town today?" Leo asked.

She nodded vigorously. She needed to discover the source of the magic that was draining her mother's Mirror, so of course the first place to search would be the town. Unfortunately, some of the power that had been lost had included the ability to sense other magic nearby the user, so Piper would have a difficult time finding it. And she only had two days left. She had already wasted a day just _finding _the town, and she hadn't even started.

"I would love to," she smiled at the boy, who grinned back.

"Awesome!" He said happily.

She hardly thought it was anything close to putting him in a state of awe, but she didn't say anything.

"Breakfast," Hephaestus bellowed as he brought three plates to the table. Piper sat down in the chair Leo had taken out for her, the scent of the food making her stomach ache. She picked up a fork – her mother had taught her about them – and poked at the plate. There were two different colored pieces of food; one was dark pink on the edges but light pink in the middle as well as slightly squishy, and the other was yellowish white and seemed like liquid. She hesitantly took a bite of the pink food, and flavor overwhelmed her mouth.

"This is delicious," she couldn't help but grin foolishly after she had tasted the equally wonderful yellow food.

"Thank you," Hephaestus said with a mouthful of food.

"I told you; he's a great cook," Leo said, also with a mouthful of food.

They sat eating their food for a while, and then Piper helped clean the dishes and put them away after they were finished.

Piper had gone to her room to retrieve her satchel, and when she walked back downstairs, Leo was waiting by a side door in the kitchen that led to the forge.

"Would you mind waiting a minute while I help my dad light the forge?" Leo asked.

"Of course," Piper said, sitting down in the same chair at the table.

"Awesome, thanks," Leo grinned before stepping through the door, trying to nonchalantly close it behind him. When he was sure he couldn't be seen, he walked to the forge where his father waited.

"Are you ready, my boy?" Hephaestus always asked the same way every time.

"Yep," Leo nodded as he lifted his hands, and they suddenly erupted in fire, and they stayed lit long enough for him to light the forge.

"You do an old man proud," Leo's father said that every time, also.

"I am your favorite child after all," Leo laughed, making his father smile.

"That you are, son. Now, go on and show our guest around."

"See ya later," Leo called over the roar of fire as he made his way back into the kitchen where Piper waited patiently.

"Are you ready?" She asked, much in the same way Hephaestus had.

"Yeah," Leo said, opening the door for her. "Ma'am," he joked.

She stuck his tongue out at him, but obligingly walked through. She breathed in the fresh air, still amazed at how different it felt as opposed to the water. It was lighter and sweeter.

They walked through the streets, stopping at various shops and wooden structures with people underneath it that Leo told her were called merchant stands. She looked all around for anything out of the ordinary, although she wasn't sure if she would know what that would be if she saw it. They eventually went to the bakery to chat with Anderson. He gave them a load of bread at a cheap price and then they sat down on a bench next to the main square to eat it. People were dancing around it while musicians played strange instruments. She looked around, trying to take it all in. Wild flowers grew behind them, and she noticed two types that looked the same but had different colors, pink and yellow. Two roses of each color sat on the bench, and she picked them up, wondering if they smelled the same. Colors on the surface were so bright and vivid, lacking the bluish tint of everything beneath the waves. In a way, they smelled different, and yet the same. She wondered at that.

"Never seen flowers before?" Leo laughed at her mystified expression.

"Of course I have," she said, raising one eyebrow. "I have not seen such bright colored ones before."

He shrugged. "They call this place the Garden Island for a reason. I bet it's why the prince and his family vacation here."

She nodded. She looked around again, watching some of the couples dance. She looked around again, and noticed a girl in what looked like some sort of uniform sitting on a bench near her and Leo. She smiled up at a couple who were standing and she was talking to the boy. After a minute, the boy kissed the girl next to him on the hand and walked away. But until he did, she had been looking up at the window with a frown while the boy spoke to the uniformed girl. It was strange to say the least, but when Piper looked to see what she had been looking at, she found an empty window.

"Do you want to continue?" Leo asked, breaking Piper from her thoughts.

"Alright," Piper said, but she had an idea. "I want to do something first." She stood up, walking over to the two girls. For whatever reason, she thought that this girl with dark skin and curly brown hair might be the kind of suspiciousness she was looking for. Even if it turned out to be nothing, she didn't have much else to go on.

"Hello," she gave the girl a friendly smile. "My name is Piper, and I'm visiting for a few days, but I thought I would get to know some of the local residents here."

The girl stared at her for a brief moment, and then she returned the gesture. "Hello Piper. My name is Hazel."

* * *

**…**_**-…Under the sun and sea…-…**_

* * *

_I'm sorry but I just love cliff-hangers. Ah, but something draws our heroes to the main square! What could it be, exactly? Anywho, cliche lines aside, I was so distracted while writing the end of this chapter by this huge fly, err, flying around. Seriously, it's still around somewhere, and it's freaking me out._

_And also, writing Leo has been a hassle but I'm working on it! Humor is such a foreign thing to me and I'm really trying, so I apologize for previous_ and _future chapters if the little humor is awful. Bear with me guys._

_Oh, and to my lovely and wonderful readers, thank you for the favorites and the follows! It means to much to me. And as to my reviews - thank you as well(: - I want to answer some questions, so if you don't care much my initial end chapter AN is finished._

_To the Guest who asked for Hazel to be human and Jason a merman: I love mermaids more than, like, anything and would love to have a bunch in the story, but I think making Jason a merman would be a bit much, especially for the story I've planned out. I mean, I already have a mermaid, a merman, and a siren, so I think that's good enough... Right?_

_To the User Dragonfan47: I thought about your request, and honestly, I _still _haven't finished Blood of Olympus. I literally can't-at least not yet. But I appreciate the review and the helpful suggestion, but I've figured out the plot and although I won't promise anything, it's unlikely that I will put Nico in, although if I do It'd be fun to make him a half-something-or-other. I'll consider it, maybe after I've finished BOO (I read fast, don't worry.)_

_To the User Ridlex: Yes, lol, they put the clothes on correctly. _

_To the User Poseidon'sWizardingGuardian: I really am trying to make Leo super cocky and goofy and all around have that Leoness, but like I've previously stated putting humor into my stories is something entirely foreign to me and I'll either forget, or horribly mess up. So again, bear with me._

_Thanks again for the views/__reviews/favorites/follows/ everyone. You all are awesome(:_

_Happy Writing!_


	7. Oops

_This is largely unedited. I can't remember the last time I sat down to scan it for typos, so forgive me if there are a lot. But the reason is at the bottom. I just don't want to clutter the top with an endless Note._

_PS: For anyone confused, I changed my name from Crymson Onyx. Honestly, I probably won't keep this one, either. It just doesn't _fit_. _

* * *

Hazel smiled at the stranger. She had pale skin as if she had never been out in the sun, and brown slightly unkempt hair. But her smile seemed genuine and her eyes were friendly.

"It's nice to meet you, Hazel," Piper said as a boy came up behind her. Hazel recognized him as the blacksmith's son, Leo. They had never really talked, but she had seen him around town many times.

"Hey," Leo saluted her with a goofy grin. "You're Hazel, right?"

"That's correct," she said. "And this is Molly," she said, turning to the girl, who curtseyed.

"Well, nice to meet ya," he bowed. "I've been showing Piper here around town; she'll be here for a few days."

"Well I hope you enjoy our town, Piper. It isn't very big, but it's beautiful the whole year."

"Thank you," Piper smiled. "So, do you want to come along with us while we finish Leo's "tour"?"

Hazel returned the smile. "I would love to." She turned to Molly again. "If you'd like, you can return home to your duties."

"Are you sure?" The girl's eyes widened.

"I'm sure," Hazel handed her the muffin, giving her a reassuring look. Honestly, she didn't enjoy the idea of always being accompanied, even though most of the servants were kind and pleasant.

"Yes ma'am," Molly said, curtseying to them one last time before turning and going back the way they came.

"Ready?" Leo asked.

"Yes," Hazel nodded. She had never done something so strange before, but there was something about these two that intrigued her. Not only that, but Leo seemed almost familiar somehow, but not like she had seen him just on the island. Almost like she had seen him somewhere else. "Lead on."

"I'm thinking of going to the docks now," Leo said.

A sharp intake of breath escaped Piper's throat, earning two confused looks from the other two. She wasn't sure if she could handle being next to the water. A knot formed in her stomach; she missed home.

"Sorry," she said. "I am… Just afraid of the water. The trip here was close to a nightmare."

"Oh," Leo frowned. "Then we'll not go there, if you're uncomfortable."

"Thank you," she smiled somewhat pathetically.

"Where do you think we should go?" Leo asked Hazel.

She thought a moment. "What if we try the public gardens? This is the season for the white roses. They grow in abundance, and they look lovely."

"I wouldn't argue with that," Piper said.

"Okay, then the gardens it is!" Leo grinned.

While they walked, they fell into a somewhat awkward silence, Hazel focusing on the sounds of the birds and conversations from strangers. The wind smelled like roses, and it grew stronger as they neared the gardens.

"So, Piper," Hazel broke the silence. "Have you visited the island before?"

Piper shook her head. "No, this is my first time."

"Where do you live, if I may ask?"

The brunette seemed to think a moment. "A town, a-across the sea." Hazel wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Piper pale the slightest bit. But the moment passed and she smiled.

"Have you always lived here?"

Hazel nodded. "Yes. My father moved here after he met my mother, and I was born on the island."

"And you, Leo?"

"All my amazing life," he responded with another silly grin.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm sure I'll enjoy this town during my visit." She thought about doing more investigating, but she didn't want to rush it. However, she didn't have much time. She inwardly sighed. This was going to be difficult.

"Here they are," Hazel said as they came upon a green wall with ivy growing all over it. She pushed aside some of the ivy to reveal an iron gate. "The gardener could have cut away the ivy, but it looks so beautiful, and everyone knows where this gate is, anyway."

She pushed it open and stepped through, Leo and Piper behind her. Not only were there roses, but many other flowers as well - asters, geraniums, sand lilies, and more that Hazel couldn't remember the names of. They were all woven around the green bushes and the trees, rimming intricate paths throughout the gardens. People were milling around, enjoying it.

Hazel heard a small gasp from Piper. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

"It's an island favorite," Hazel laughed.

"I can see why," Piper agreed.

"Do you have any gardens where you live?" Hazel asked.

Piper's eyes lit up. "Oh yes! There are flowers and trees of every color and type, and the currents make them look like they're alive."

"Currents?"

"Ahem," Piper cursed her slipup. She couldn't let her feelings of homesickness outweigh her caution. "Yes, we have water gardens. I can really only describe them to you, but we have regular gardens like this too. Although, not as magnificent as this one."

"I'm sure it's lovely."

Leo strayed ahead, grinning at a girl smelling a white rose. She smiled back politely.

"So, Hazel," Piper started. She was slowly running out of time. Her mother had told her one of the first places she should look is with a magician or someone who deals with magical items.

"Yes?"

"What kind of traders do you have here in town?"

Hazel thought a moment. "Well, as you already know we have the blacksmith. And then there's the general store, run by a nice couple with a few children. And then there's the tailor run by an older woman, although she has more of a…" She searched for the right word. The woman was nice enough, but her personality was more reserved. "She's a little different."

"Different can be good," Piper said.

"Yes," Hazel agreed. "But anyway, besides that, there are also a few smaller shops for produce and other necessities."

Piper nodded. "Alright. Are there any other shops?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"I want to know the layout of the town, so I don't get lost."

"If Leo doesn't mind, we can go to the market street next."

Piper nodded.

"Hey!" Leo called. He'd gone on farther ahead, and was jogging back to them. "So what are you ladies chatting about?"

"Shops," Piper answered.

"Uh… Interesting," one of his eyebrows rose.

"Would you mind if we went to the market street next, Leo?" Hazel asked.

"I would love to find something for my mother when I return home," Piper added. Partly true.

"Whatever you'd like." Leo said. He then slumped his shoulders. "I'm not gonna have to carry all the bags, right?"

Hazel smirked. "Probably. We need some sort of outlet."

Leo said something in another language.

"Well, you agreed," Hazel laughed.

"What did he say?" Piper asked.

"He's just being a boy," Hazel replied.

Leo shrugged.

Piper looked at them. They definitely didn't look like strangers.

She then looked at the sky. The sun was already high above her. She only had one day and a half. She examined her bracelet. Starting in a small spot in the silver, she could see what looked like rust. It was starting to lose its magic.

"It's already noon? Wow, time seems to not be on our side today," Piper said nonchalantly.

Hazel looked up, and her eyes widened. "Oh. I need to return home before my father starts to worry." She smiled at them apologetically. "You know how parents are."

"Will we see you again?" Piper asked. She glanced at Leo, and he bobbed his head.

"I hope so," Hazel said. She started to turn and go back. "It was very nice meeting you both."

"You too!" Piper said, giving her a little wave.

"Yeah, see ya, Hazel," Leo saluted her once, and then winked.

Hazel laughed before rounding the corner of the garden.

They walked to the market, but suddenly Leo stopped. "I hate to do this, but I also have to get back and help my father with the forge." He laughed. "He says I'm better at keeping it going than he is. Do you want to come with me?"

Piper shook her head, silently thanking the fates. "No, I think I'll look around a little more. I still need something for my mother, after all."

He tilted his head. "You sure?"

She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Even if I do get lost, I'll just ask someone for directions."

He slowly nodded. "Ok, then. I'll see you later." He grinned one last time. "Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try," she said sarcastically with a smirk as he walked away back towards his house.

She waited until she couldn't see him anymore, and then walked to the side of a dress shop, reaching for her satchel and rummaging around in it. After a minute, she pulled out a small pendant. It was enchanted by her mother, and could sense magic. Piper could see magic well enough by herself, but her mother felt it would be helpful if she had an extra boost. She clasped the pendant around her neck, and then set off through the market, looking for any sources that she could find.

She decided to first visit the tailor, whom Hazel had mentioned was a little different. She wasn't sure what different was to the girl, but Piper figured it would be the best place to start, so she walked around for a little while until she spied clothing through a shop window. The sign above the door had a spindle on it, but what also looked like the needle of a poker fish. The meaning of it was lost on her, but opened the door anyway, stepping into the dim building.

When her eyes adjusted she saw shelves upon shelves of fabric, with boxes of all manner of human things. She walked around them to the front counter, where a woman stood slightly turned away from her, winding red thread around a spindle. She looked up as Piper approached.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss. I didn't hear the bell ring. My ears aren't what they used to be." She seemed friendly and had a genuine smile. Her graying brown hair was combed into a messy bun, but her eyes of the same color sparkled with youth.

"That's alright," Piper said. She suddenly felt like a fool. She didn't even know what to ask about.

"I'm, er, looking for something for my mother," she said. Well, it wasn't a lie.

The woman put the spindle down. "Of course. Anything in particular?"

Piper tried to think of something that would be infused with magic, or something that was the symbol of magic, that could be found in clothing stores. Her mother didn't know that much about the surface world, but she did tell Piper about human enchantments. They were oftentimes not very useful, and were very dramatic and difficult, their desire for flair overcoming simple magic.

She only had a day and a half. She would certainly need to take risks.

"I'm looking for something unique," she finally said. "I've heard that you supply… Unusual items." Of course she'd heard nothing of the sort, but when a look of recognition crossed the woman's eyes, Piper knew she understood.

"Ah, well that's another story then," the woman smiled, moving to another part of the counter and reaching underneath it. After searching for something, she rose a few moments later and placed a rather large box on the counter, opening the thick lid and turning it to face Piper.

The Siren leaned closer, inspecting the box. Inside lay a simple small cloth, despite the size. She peered over at the merchant, confused. But she only stared back, as if waiting.

Piper shuffled on her feet nervously, rubbing her bracelet with one hand. Did this human expect her to do something? She tentatively reached into the box, eyeing the woman for any change in her expression, although it only seemed more knowing. Piper brought her eyes to the cloth as she pulled it out; consequently, she'd grasped it with the hand that the bracelet was under, and her eyes widened when both items began to glow with a blue light. She dropped the cloth and snatched her hand away as if burned, clutching the bracelet in the other hand as if hiding it would erase the look the merchant was giving her.

"So, you _do _know of magic," the woman said.

Piper wasn't sure what to do as she stared at the woman. Was she dangerous? She didn't look so, but she knew all too well the capabilities of beautiful things; she was the daughter of one herself.

"I…" Piper squeaked.

"It's alright," the woman said, holding up both hands. "You have nothing to fear from me. I only needed to make sure it was you."

"It… Me?"

The woman nodded before bowing once. "I am your highness' humble servant."

…

Piper was annoyed. More than annoyed actually, but she wouldn't show it. Her mother had told her she would be alone. Piper believed Aphrodite trusted her with such an important task. But then she sent a servant – a _servant!_ – to manipulate memories, set up a shop, and scour for any magical artifacts in case her oh so precious daughter could not find any.

She slumped against the counter. The way her mother treated her sometimes made the girl feel as if she were in a whirlpool.

"I'm sorry," the servant – Piper was too angry to try and recall her name at the moment – said. "Your mother was worried. You have not made any progress."

"It has only been a day and a half," Piper said quietly.

The servant shook her head, but said nothing.

"How did you acquire legs?" Piper finally asked.

"I didn't…" The woman hesitated, her eyes darting anywhere but at Piper as if she wasn't sure how much she could say.

"How much magic did my mother have left?" Piper asked, her eyes narrowing. Now she was suspicious.

"She… I… They couldn't…" The woman's eyes looked like they would roll out of her head with all the movement they made.

Piper glared at the servant.

Finally, she sighed. "I have been human for several months."

Piper gasped.

The servant rushed on. "Your mother had noticed a change in her magic, and before her mirror lost its power, she immediately sent me here to search for it. But with my cover and my age, I could not do much. I gained a reputation for being 'odd'. Her Majesty then sent me a message, telling me that no one would question a child as much."

Piper winced at being referred to as a child. She was almost fifteen! But she ignored the comment. "Why did my mother never say anything?"

The servant shrugged. "I do not know."

Piper sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Well, you're supposed to help me, then."

The servant nodded vigorously. Without another word, she rose from her seat and disappeared into the back room. A few moments later she reappeared with a small box in her hand. She set it on the counter and opened it, much like she had with the bigger box, but this time she pulled out the item. It was a thin golden ring with a tiny sapphire.

"This is one of my most powerful magic items," she explained. "It works much like your pendant, but instead of magical energy, it will pull you towards magical _users_. Even beings that have been infused with magic."

Piper nodded. "I see."

"Yes, it should be quite helpful. And I know a few places where you can start, too."

* * *

_So, I have something to say._

_First of all, I know it has been over a year and a half since I've last updated, and really I have no excuse because even Rick Riordan doesn't take so long, and he has the whole book and not the chapter. I thought that it was a procrastination problem, but I finally figured out that it wasn't. It's actually an outlining. I realized that I don't plan my stories very well. I usually think of a premise, and the beginning, and usually the ending, but the middle ground (or act 2, whatever you wish to call it) is completely out of my head. I didn't even realize that it was an issue, but I just struggle so much with getting from point B to C. So I've started trying to plan out my stories._

_But even so, I always tried to have an endgame with my stories - always tried to know exactly what I wanted. But this story? I had, and still have, no clue. The only premise I had was that the characters from HoO would be in a Little Mermaid story, and that it would vaguely adhere to the details of the movie. But unlike my other ideas, I just jumped right in before I had a solid idea. And the issue with posting chapter by chapter is it's very hard to change little details for whatever purposes._

_So, in general, I don't have a way for this to go. I tried to think of something, but my ideas and my writing have changed in the past year and a half, and I literally haven't touched this story in months. I'm immensely sorry to everyone who was reading this and am grateful to those who took the time to review and favorite/follow, but I'd rather discontinue it than try and write what I just don't have, for everyone's sake. This is the last chapter I wrote and finished, and this will probably just sit in my stories tab set as incomplete. _

_Oh, but anyone can really take over if they wish - Heck, you can even rewrite the entire thing. The idea to put these characters in wasn't originally my idea anyway, only the plot and their races (Like, whether they were Mermaids, Sirens, other mythical creatures, etc.). Just let me know if anyone's interested? I just completely lost interest in this, since it was never really going anywhere._

_The only semblence of the plot I had was this: The characters from HoO would eventually meet up and befriend each other, and then (somehow) defeat Ursula and the Wizard (Kronos, if I wasn't vague enough about his identity so far lol). Percy had control over water, Ariel kind of had some power over emotion with her voice, Hazel still had her powers that she can't control yet (she was born with it or something), Piper was the same, but her powers came from being a Siren. Jason was... I don't know, actually. Leo had fire powers like usual, but he was born with it (like Hazel). I don't know what was going on with Frank, either. Annabeth was just a genius, and Eric was his normal self._

_The idea was based off of another story with the characters in this world - I tried finding it again, but I couldn't, so I unfortunately don't have the name - but I mostly switched them around so it wouldn't be plagiarism or something._

_So, again, I am _so_ so sorry about this (and for the fifty million words of a Note). This definitely isn't the end of my writing, but it is the end of my writing this story. Who knows, maybe I'll do something like this again one day. I don't really want to say I'll never write this again, though._

Happy Writing!


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